Chapters on Upadhyaya, Shankaracharya dropped: BJP

Opposition BJP alleged in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Saturday that the Congress government had directed omission of chapters on BJP ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya and Adi Shankaracharya from school textbooks.

Speaker N P Prajapati asked the concerned minister to look into the matter.

The issue was raised by BJP MLA Vishwas Sarang during Zero Hour. The state government had directed, for political reasons, that chapters on Upadhyaya and the eighth-century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya be dropped, he said.

Upadhyaya followed the principles of "Ekatma Manav Darshan" and worked for the downtrodden all his life, while Adi Shankaracharya brought about unity by travelling across the country, Sarang said.

Demanding a discussion on the issue, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava said the government's action was against "the rich culture of Sanatan Dharma".

Congress legislator Arif Masood alleged that the BJP- led Union government had excised several freedom fighters from syllabi.

Intervening in the debate, Speaker Prajapati said the minister of the concerned department shall look into the matter.

The Speaker also remarked that it would not be appropriate to withdraw these chapters from the syllabus.