Unfortunate...nothing more painful: Nitin Gadkari after chapters on Dr Hedgewar, VD Savarkar removed from school syllabus in Karnataka

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 : Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has criticised the Karnataka government's proposal to revise school textbooks in the State and said that it is "unfortunate" that the chapters on Dr Hedgewar and Swatantra Veer Savarkar have been removed.

Nitin Gadkari was addressing a gathering at the book launch ceremony on VD Savarkar.

"It is unfortunate that the chapters on Dr Hedgewar and Swatantra Veer Savarkar have been removed from the school syllabus. There is nothing more painful than this," said Gadkari on Saturday.

His remarks come after the Karnataka cabinet on Thursday approved the revision of Social Science and Kannada textbooks for classes 6 to 10 in state schools, dropping chapters on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar and Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar among others.

Earlier on June 15, Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced to drop a chapter on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) founder KB Hedgewar from the school syllabus.

"Syllabus on KB Hedgewar has been dropped. Whatever changes they (previous govt) have done last year, we have changed it and reintroduced whatever was there last to last year," said Madhu Bangarappa, on the revised textbook syllabus.

"Hedgewar chapter has been taken out. Whatever was manipulated has been omitted and reintroduced whatever was there last to last year. All the details will be available very soon," the Education minister added.

Keeping the promises made in the manifesto before the polls, the Siddaramaiah government held a cabinet meeting here today to implement revisions in the syllabus of school textbooks.

According to reports, the Congress-led Karnataka government scrapped the chapter from the Class X Kannada textbook. This chapter had been introduced in the state syllabus during the previous BJP government's tenure.

"There are certain issues and the five-member committee has been formed. A lot of people who were involved had pressurised our Chief Minister for a few changes. So in the interest of the children, we have done the least. Within a week, the notifications would reach the schools," said Bangarappa.