Karnataka Textbook Row: Govt approves removal of lessons on RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar

The Karnataka government on Thursday approved the removal of lessons on RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, reported Times Now.

School textbooks in the state will be revised this year, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said. He said experts would revise textbooks this year to keep in check what should be there in the books and what not.

A similar decision will be made in the cabinet.


BJP has been actively voicing its opinion against the decision of the current Karnataka government to remove lessons on Hedgewar.

BJP MLA and former state minister CN Ashwath Narayan criticised the move, stating that such hasty decisions will not be appreciated. "These kinds of hasty decisions are not appreciated. Dr. Hedgewar is a founder of national cultural building, nationalism...He was a medical practitioner with a good background," the former state minister told ANI.

Narayan said such changes are politically motivated. "As a popular government, they should address the concerns of all sections of society. Government has to be inclusive and respect the sentiments of all communities and all people...I humbly call upon them, don't be in a hurry to do things," the BJP MLA said.

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also slammed the move by the Congress-led government in the southern state and said that party's views on history are limited to the Nehru-Gandhi family. "I don't have control over them what they do or say ... It's (move to remove a lesson) absolutely wrong. It is in their DNA and intent to take out from history whosoever is not part of the dynasty. Their 'prism' of looking at history is limited to the Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

A series of decisions taken by different states has put the spotlight back on the debate around the establishment tailoring school texts to suit its political bent.

Both Congress and BJP allege each other of changing the textbooks as per their preferences when they are in power in a particular state. While BJP alleges Congress for focusing too much on Mughal history in textbooks, Congress alleges the BJP of "whitewashing" and "distorting" history.