Bengaluru: The State unit of the Congress has alleged that for the ruling BJP in the state the diktat of the RSS is more supreme than the religious seers.
The jibe was made on the social media handle of the Congress on Wednesday in the backdrop of the education ministry directing the principle secretary of the Department of Public Instruction to include social reformer Bramhasri Narayana Guru in the social science textbook.
Minister for Energy, Kannada and Culture V. Sunil Kumar had recently met Education Minister B.C. Nagesh and requested him to include the omitted lesson on Sri Narayana Guru. Nagesh, acting immediately on the request, had ordered the inclusion.
The Opposition Congress party condemned the BJP for ignoring the pleas of prominent seers demanding the inclusion of a lesson on Bramhasri Narayana Guru for a long time and changing its stand as soon as the minister made the request.
“Sangh’s diktat is what matters to BJP rather than religious seers,” the Congress reiterated. “Seers, litterateurs had written letters to Education Minister Nagesh. The government does not have respect for the seers. There is no concern about the education of children,” the Congress stated.
“Adichunchanagiri mutt seer, Panditaradhya seer, Jayamrutyunjaya seer, Lingayat mutt seer wrote letters. No response was given. What is BJP’s priority? Whom does the BJP respect?” the Congress questioned.
The textbook revision process has apparently boomeranged on the ruling BJP as the party has been criticized by all sections of society. Objections have been raised over the way things have been handled by the president of the Textbook Revision Commission, Rohith Chakrathirtha.
The state government had agreed to rectify all content issues and discharged the committee. The committee came under scanner for taking off information like B.R. Ambedkar was an architect of the Constitution. Serious objections were raised regarding ‘dishonouring’ social reformer Basavanna who is revered by the Lingayat community, which provides the support base for the ruling party in Karnataka.
Objections were also raised over allegedly insulting Nadaprabhu Kempegowda and Rastra Kavi Kuvempu, both seen as icons of the dominant Vokkaliga community.
