Congress intensifies protest over textbook row, demand resignation of CM
The Congress on Thursday staged a protest here asking the state government to withdraw the controversial revised school textbooks and demanded the resignation of Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, accusing his administration of distorting history.
“We demand the resignation of Basavaraj Bommai who has, in the name of textbook revision, spoiled the peace of the society and auctioned away Karnataka’s respect in the country and abroad. This BJP government should go,” state Congress president D K Shivakumar said during the protest in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi inside Vidhana Soudha.
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“The government should bring back the old textbook as the government and its appointed textbook revision committee had distorted history and insulted all great historical personalities,” he said. “Throw these textbooks in the garbage.”
He also appealed to the state’s population to come forward and protest against the government and its proposals that have insulted almost all great historical personalities in the state, offending the sensibilities of the people.
The Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government has been on the defensive after several popular and influential seers from various communities, including the Lingayats, Vokkaligas and Valmikis, raised their objection against the textbook revision.
The Karnataka government-appointed school textbook committee, headed by Rohit Chakaratheertha, has been dissolved after seers, eminent writers, civil society and others raised objections to the contents of the textbooks.
“I am appealing to the entire state’s population, to all organisations and mathas. This is a question of self-respect,” Shivakumar said.
Siddaramaiah, the leader of the opposition, said that the Congress was undertaking the symbolic protest and that others should also join the protest.
“The government dissolved the Chakratheertha committee after opposition from the public, eminent writers, thinkers, seers, academic experts, and political parties. But they have retained the changes in the textbook made by the committee. This should not be fed to children and the old textbook which was revised under eminent writer Baragauru Ramachandrappa should be brought back,” he said.
