Textbooks: BJP govt goes on the offensive, slams Congress

Vokkaliga leaders and pontiffs have been up in arms over the new textbooks for 'insulting' Kuvempu and Kempegowda

The BJP government launched an offensive Thursday by releasing a 200-page dossier to address objections against the new school textbooks and slammed the previous Congress government for changing course contents to “please the minorities”.

Revenue Minister R Ashoka, who released the dossier at a news conference here, picked holes in the textbooks that were revised by a committee headed by writer Baraguru Ramachandrappa constituted when the Congress was in power between 2013 and 2018.

Before Ramachandrappa, a committee headed by educationist G S Mudambadithaya had revised textbooks when the BJP was in power between 2008 and 2013.

Ashoka’s mandate was to clear the air on allegations that the new textbooks designed by the now-dissolved Rohith Chakratirtha committee caused an affront to poet laureate Kuvempu and Bengaluru founder Kempegowda, the two icons of the Vokkaliga community.

Also read: Textbooks row: Karnataka government firm on its stand, says B C Nagesh

“When the books were prepared by our government first, there were eight writings of Kuvempu in the textbooks. The committee constituted by the Congress government, headed by Baraguru Ramachandrappa, trimmed this to seven,” Ashoka, the BJP’s Vokkaliga face, said.

The minister questioned Congress leaders on why content on Kuvempu was reduced. “We have increased the content on Kuvempu from earlier seven to 10,” he pointed out.

Ashoka also said that it was the Baraguru committee that inserted a phrase suggesting Kuvempu emerged as a famous poet “with the support of various people”. “Where were these so-called literates? Why did they not raise objections?” he said.

On Kempegowda, Ashoka claimed that it was the BJP government that added lessons on the 16th-century chieftain in the textbooks. “I want to question (Karnataka Congress president) DK Shivakumar, who tore a copy of the textbook revised by us that had lessons on Kempegowda,” Ashoka said.

While listing out "errors" committed by the Baraguru committee, the BJP government has admitted to mistakes made by the Chakratirtha committee. “There are eight errors, which include Basavanna and B R Ambedkar. They will be revised and sent to schools as additional material,” Ashoka said.

Ashoka was joined by Public Workers Minister C C Patil (Lingayat), Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar (Brahmin) and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj (Kuruba), in an apparent messaging exercise.

Vokkaliga leaders and pontiffs were up in arms over the new textbooks for “insulting” Kuvempu and Kempegowda. This posed a threat to the ruling BJP of Vokkaliga votes consolidating against the saffron party ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.

The government choosing Ashoka to helm the defence is seen as the BJP’s attempt to control the damage and take Vokkaligas into confidence after a massive protest last week saw former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and Shivakumar of the Congress lend their support to the agitation against the government demanding withdrawal of the new textbooks.