Padayatra against school textbook row begins

On the textbook row, Kannada music composer Hamsalekha said that Kannadigas need to learn from Tamilians' love towards their language, especially when Kannada faces any crisis.

He was speaking after launching the 25-km long padayatra from Kuppali to Thirthahalli town, at Kavishaila, where poet laureate Kuvempu was laid to rest, on Wednesday.

The padayatra was led by former minister Kimmane Ratnakar demanding action against the dissolved school textbook revision panel head Rohith Chakrathirtha for the derogatory remarks about Kuvempu on social media.

Hamsalekha said both ruling and opposition parties in Tamil Nadu come together when the Tamil language faces any crisis. Kannadigas need to follow them in this regard. "We had launched the Gokak movement in the past when there was a threat to the Kannada language. This also reminded me of past agitation."

Speaking on the occasion, writer S G Siddaramaiah charged the Bommai-led government of trying to regularise the school textbooks, which had been revised against the norms. The move of the government is against the principles of democratic system. This is a political agitation against the unauthorised revision of school textbooks.

Former minister Kimmane Ratnakar said the main objective of education is to teach truth to children but the revised textbooks are far from the truth.

Educationist Niranjanradhya, Dalit Sangharsh Samithi State Convener M Gurumurthy, critic Rajendra Chenni, farmer leader K T Gangadhar, Sringeri MLA T D Raje Gowda, thinkers K P Sripal, Dinesh Amin Mattu, Nempe Devaraj and Kadidal Dayanand were among those who took part in the padayatra.