Kerala is making its opposition known against the move of the Centre to shift libraries from the state list to the concurrent list. The Union Ministry of Culture is likely to introduce a Bill in connection to the same so that both the Centre and state have the same jurisdiction over libraries and this is why the state government of Kerala is concerned, stated a copy in The New Indian Express.
R Bindu, Minister of Higher Education, Government of Kerala, mentioned that the move would hinder the autonomous character of libraries and lead to “infiltration of right-wing ideas in the intellectual sphere”. “Besides, it would go against the idea of libraries as centres of independent thought. There seems to be a concerted effort from right-wing groups to infiltrate into this space,” she told The New Indian Express.
While speaking at the two-day Festival of Libraries 2023 in Delhi, the minister shared Kerala's concerns, this was the same event where other speakers propounded the idea of Central control over libraries.
Representatives of the Kerala State Library Council also took part and opposed the move while the ruling CPM in Kerala has labelled the Centre's move to 'control' libraries as part of their ‘Hindutva agenda’.
“This is part of a conspiracy to bring libraries under the control of the Union government and to fill the shelves with books brought out by Sangh Parivar publishing centres,” the CPM state secretariat said. “With the Centre gaining control, libraries will lose their power to take decisions at the local level. With autonomy being curtailed, there will be interventions on what to read and how to read,” the CPM said. The party also said such a move was against the principle of federalism.
