Two days after RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas headed by Dina Nath Batra in its recommendations to National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) suggested removal of works of Rabindranath Tagore from school textbooks, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today slammed it saying how can one think of removing works of Rabindra Nath Tagore from textbooks, ANI reported. However, earlier in the day, Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javedekar told Rajya Sabha that the government has no plan to remove Ravindranath Tagore from school textbooks, PTI said. While responding to the issue raised by senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Derek O’Brien, the minister said that the government respected Rabindra Nath Tagore and others who have made signification contributions to the freedom and literature of the country.
“How can one even think of removing Tagore from school text books. This is just rubbish.” she was quoted as saying by ANI on the suggestion by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas.
Recently in its recommendations the RSS-affiliated body had made few recommendations to NCERT suggesting it to remove English, Arabic and Urdu words in a poem by the poet Pash and a couplet by Mirza Ghalib, thoughts of Rabindranath Tagore, Mughal emperors as benevolent, extracts from painter M F Husain’s autobiography, from school text books. It had recently sent its suggestions to NCERT after the later had sought suggestions from the public on viewing school textbooks, Indian Express report said.
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Javadekar added that teachers and others have been asked to give suggestions to correct or remove “any factual errors” from NCERT textbooks. Voicing his concern, senior Samajwadi Party leader said the Nyas has also suggested removal of Mirza Ghalib and Urdu words from the school textbooks.
“We will not do anything which will create some problem,” Prakash Javadekar was quoted as saying by PTI while clarifying the stand of the government.
