Vijayapura: Expressing anguish over the reported controversial changes made in the textbooks of the Government schools by the Textbook Revision Committee, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Campaign Committee President and MLA M. B. Patil has demanded the Government to withdraw all the changes made in the textbooks and set up a new Textbook Revision Committee.
He was addressing mediapersons on Monday June 6 while campaigning for Congress candidate Prakash Hukkeri for the coming MLC polls for the Teachers’ Constituency. Patil said that the BJP has committed grave mistake of appointing Rohit Chakratirtha as Chairman of Textbook Committee who has committed blunders in the books.
“By appointing Rohit, the Government has made attempts to push its communal and divisive agenda in the textbooks. He has insulted Basaveshwara and Kuvempu also. The Congress will never tolerate this. The Government must immediately withdraw the revisions made to books,” he said.
Asserting that the State has several eminent historians, experts and academicians, the Government must appoint a new committee by selecting them as Chairman for making required changes.
The textbooks should never give false or fabricated information to the children. The Congress never did such things in the textbook as the Congress whenever has made changes in the textbooks, has ensured that only facts are presented. Referring to the claims of BJP leaders that the Government has no plans to convert Women’s University into a general university, Patil shot back by accusing the BJP leaders of giving flip-flop statements.
“The BJP Ministers have said on the floor of the house that the Government is planning to convert Women’s university into a general university. Now, the same BJP leaders have changed the tune. Whatever is said on the floor of the house, is considered as the stand of the Government,” he said.
He also accused MLC and BJP candidate for MLC election for Teachers’ Constituency Arun Shahapur of not raising voice against the Government when it was taking decisions against the interest of Vijayapura District.
“Shahapur remained quiet when the BJP Government was taking decisions against the Women’s University, which means that he was indirectly supporting the Government,” he said.
Earlier, he accused the BJP Government of not filling up vacant posts in the Education Department.
Claiming that over 38 per cent posts are vacant in the Education Department, he said that even the backlog posts are also not filled up. He said that the Government has not given approval for the filling up of various posts in aided schools and colleges of the State. He assured that if the Congress Government comes to power, the Government will fill up all the vacant posts to provide employment to youth who are desperately waiting for Government jobs. He said that Hukkeri is a seasoned politician who has worked from the grassroot level and understands the issues of teachers clearly.
In his address, Hukkeri accused Shahapur of doing nothing in addressing the grievances of teachers in his 12 years of tenure. “The Congress has given me an opportunity to fight the elections and said that he has already talked to leaders of three Districts and said that he enjoys the support of all the Congress MLAs and other leaders of Vijayapura, Bagalakote and Belagavi Districts.
