Subramanian Swamy criticises protests over removal of Ramayana essay

NEW DELHI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy today termed as "ridiculous" the protests against removal of scholar A K Ramanujan's essay on Ramayana from the history syllabus of Delhi University.

In a statement, he alleged the protests have come from Left-wing activists and "not from genuine scholars and students".

Groups of teachers and students have come together to voice their displeasure over the removal of the essay on Ramayana even as an online signature campaign against the decision gathered steam.

The issue was first raised way back in 2008 when a group of ABVP members stormed the history department to protest the inclusion of 'Three Hundred Ramayanas' in the curriculum.

It came to life again earlier this month when the University Academic Council decided to do away with the essay over-ruling the history department council's recommendation in favour of its continuation.

The essay, which offers a number of versions of the epic story of Lord Rama, including the Jain, Buddhist and Kannada narratives, had not gone down well with sections of the right wing, some of whom called it "blasphemous".