Speech by RSS founder KB Hedgewar in Class 10 school textbook; Karnataka Edu Minister justifies inclusion

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh has come out in defence of the inclusion of a speech by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, founder of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in a revised Kannada textbook for Class X students. This was objected to by some organisations, including the All-India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO) and the All-India Save Education Committee (AISEC).

Nagesh said that the textbook does not contain anything about Hedgewar or the RSS, but only his speech on what should be an inspiration to people, especially the youth, and that those who have raised objections have not gone through the textbook, stated a PTI report.

"Some people want to object to everything and they feel what they have said is only the truth and only their thinking has to be told to society. In that speech, Hedgewar had said that one has to take ideology, values and principles as his or her inspiration. He has spoken about the importance of society and the nation. What's wrong with that?" the Minister asked.

The organisations AIDSO and AISEC alleged omission of a lesson on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Also omitted are works by renaissance literary figures like AN Murthi Rao's Vyaghrageethe, P Lankesh's Mruga Mattu Sundari and Sara Aboobacker's Yuddha, they said. The BJP government in the state is trying to force the ideology of RSS and the party into the textbooks, the AISEC alleged in a statement to PTI.