The Karnataka’s BJP government removed contents on social reformers Sri Narayana Guru and Periyar in the new social science textbook of class 10.
The references to Narayana Guru and Periyar, which were present in a chapter “Saamajika Mattu Dharmika Sudharana Chaluvaligalu” (social and religious reform movements) in the earlier version of the textbook, have been removed now.
In the PDF of the new social science part-1 textbook posted by the Karnataka Textbook Society on its website, the chapter has been made concise and texts related to Brahma Samaj founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Arya Samaj of Swami Dayananada Saraswati, Prarthana Samaj of Atmaram Pandurang, Satyashodana Samaj of Jyotiba Phule, Aligarh Movement by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Ramakrishna Mission of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, and Theosophical Society of Annie Besant are mentioned.
Former Mangaluru City South MLA and Congresd leader J.R. Lob said that the Congress will hold massive protests, if the portion on Sri Narayana Guru was not retained in textbooks.
Accusing the Hindu nationalist government of neglecting the social reformer on purpose, the Congress leader said that initially the Union government cancelled a tableau on Sri Narayana Guru, during Republic Day in Delhi, and now the state government has reportedly removed contents on Sri Narayana Guru from textbooks.
He went on to say: “Sri Narayana Guru was not just a seer but a visionary, who preached the doctrine of ‘One caste, one religion and one God’. The BJP government has been insulting the spiritual guru through the move. If the government has no intention of including lessons on social reformers, what would they teach our young generation?”
