The Karnataka Cabinet has recently confirmed that a chapter on RSS founder KB Hedgewar has been dropped from the state’s school syllabus. This move comes after the Congress party’s decision to revise school textbooks and reverse all changes made by the previous BJP government. Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa stated that the syllabus on KB Hedgewar has been removed and whatever changes were made by the previous government have been reversed. This decision was reportedly made during a meeting focused on educational reforms in Bengaluru, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa.
The chapter on KB Hedgewar was previously introduced in the state’s syllabus during the BJP government’s tenure. In addition to the removal of this chapter, the Congress-led Karnataka government has decided to scrap the law against religious conversion introduced by the previous administration. The BJP had also introduced a bill to replace the law last year. Furthermore, a new law on agricultural markets (APMC) will be introduced, replacing the one enacted under the BJP administration.
The decision to recite the Preamble of the Constitution along with the hymn in schools and colleges was also taken during the Cabinet meeting. The Congress government’s proposal to revamp the curriculum with an intent to remove the Sangh’s alleged contribution had been criticized by the BJP. BJP’s National General Secretary CT Ravi stated that although the Congress can change the syllabus, they cannot change history. He emphasized that everyone knows about Sangh Parivaar’s patriotism, and their ideology of patriotism is getting stronger everywhere and cannot be changed.
