Review of II PU history textbook on hold

Lesson on Dr. Ambedkar to be re-edited to reinstate his description as ‘architect of Constitution’

AIDSO members protest against the newly revised textbook, committee headed by Mr. Rohit Chakratirtha, and demanding textbooks to be stopped immediately, in Bengaluru on June 06, 2022. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K.

The review of II Pre-University history textbook has been put on hold for now, as the Rohith Chakrathirtha-led textbook revision committee has been dissolved. The committee had been earlier tasked with reviewing the lesson “Hosa Dharmagala Udaya” (genesis of new faiths) in the textbook. But Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai dissolved the committee last week following controversy over the revision of Class I to X textbooks.

“Now that the committee has been dissolved, the review of II PU history textbook has been put on hold for now. We will look into it at a later stage,” said B.C. Nagesh, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education.  The entire exercise of revision by the Mr. Chakrathirtha-led panel had begun after objections were raised to this particular lesson by the Karnataka Brahmin Mahasabha in 2021.

Critique of caste hierarchy

Meanwhile, Mr. Nagesh said the government will also re-edit the lesson on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, following objections by the Dalit organisations. After objections were raised by Lingayat and Dalit community leaders over how lessons on Basaveshwara and Dr. Ambedkar were edited, allegedly to suppress their critique on caste hierarchy, the Chief Minister had last week announced that the lesson on Basaveshwara would be re-edited.

Speaking on the lesson on Dr. Ambedkar, Mr. Nagesh said, “In the revised textbooks, the adjective “Samvidhana Shilpi” (architect of the Constitition) to describe Dr. Ambedkar had been left out, which will be reinstated.” When asked over the objections raised about “suppression” of Dr. Ambedkar’s critique of caste hierarchy, Mr. Nagesh said the government had asked three teachers to look into the lessons on Dr. Ambedkar. Based on their report, the government would re-edit them. “We have an open mind about re-editing any parts of the lesson that are objectionable,” he said. 

BJP leaders object

Meanwhile, criticism about textbook revision by Mr. Chakrathirtha has also come from leaders from within the ruling BJP. Speaking in Mysuru, BJP MLA B. Harshavardhan criticised deletion of reference to Dr. Ambedkar as “architect of the Constitution.”

The MLA said he, along with Chamarajanagar MP and former Minister V. Srinivas Prasad, would meet Mr. Bommai on Wednesday to submit a memorandum for continuing with the old textbooks.