RSS takes up fight against revision in school syllabus in Rajasthan

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated education bodies have sought information from the Congress-led Rajasthan government on “downsizing portrayal of right wing leaders” in the state textbooks, alleging that the changes have been made flouting norms.
Through several Right to Information (RTI) applications, the RSS-backed organisations have asked for information about the procedure to set up committees for reviewing the syllabus and whether it was done in a transparent and fair manner.
The Congress in the past had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of distorting history and saffronisation of school education.
Now, several BJP leaders including former education minister Vasudev Devnani, who was accused of saffronisation of textbooks, have criticised the state government move “to dilute references to right wing ideologues such as VD Savarkar and Deen Dayal Upadhayay”.
A controversy broke out after in drafts of the new textbooks the prefix Veer was removed from Savarkar’s name and he was being referred to as one, who “plotted the assassination” of Mahatma Gandhi, though he was later exonerated by a court, and that he sought clemency from the British government.
The new textbooks do not have chapters on Upadhyay and welfare schemes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
Education minister Govind Singh Dotasara has justified the changes saying it was an attempt to correct history “distorted by the Bharatiya Janata Party ” and claimed that “the RSS forced its ideology in the syllabus and glorified people such as Savarkar who made no contribution in the independence struggle.”

More videos

See All