A new dimension has been added to the ongoing controversy over saffronisation of school textbooks in Karnataka with a police complaint being filed against the review committee chairman over an old social media post in which he allegedly insulted the state anthem.
Aam Aadmi Party leader B.T. Naganna lodged the complaint on Wednesday against Rohith Chakrathirtha who is already embroiled in the raging controversy over dropping the work of progressive writers and lessons on several social reformers from the state board textbooks and including a speech of RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar.
The FIR lodged on Wednesday named Chakrathirtha for his Facebook post from 2017, which was a parody based on the highly revered state anthem “Jaya Bharatiya Jananiya Thanujathe Jayahe Karnataka mathey…” penned by Kuvempu, who is regarded as the greatest Kannada poet.
While primary and secondary education minister B.C. Nagesh had already clarified that the police had filed a closure report in an FIR filed against him in 2017 over the post, the fresh complaint means that the police would have to take another look into the matter.
The complainant pointed out that the parody equated Karnataka to Congress party, India to Arabia, the sacred Tunga river to a source of arrack (country liquor) and portrayed Karnataka as a state meant for drunkards.
The complainant cited violations under IPC sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups of people) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class) among others.
The police are yet to register an FIR.
The social media post had prompted Nirmalananda Swamy of the Adichunchunagiri Mutt to write to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai expressing concern at the disrespect meted out to the state anthem. The chief minister had rushed Nagesh to meet the seer and provide an explanation in an effort to pacify the powerful mutt of the Vokkaliga community.
The rampant revision of school textbooks by the committee helmed by Chakrathirtha has already led to several writers revoking their permission to include their work in the books. At least five acclaimed Kannada writers have since resigned from government-funded literary bodies, protesting the saffronisation of textbooks.
Rashtriya Basava Dal president Basavaraj Dhannur told reporters in Bidar that the revised book incorrectly claimed that Basavanna received “Linga Deekshe” (initiation into Lingayat religion) when there was no such practice before he started the Lingayat religion as a movement against the caste-ridden Hindu society. “He established the Lingayat religion and he did not get Linga Deekshe from anyone. It is absolutely wrong to say Basavanna reformed the Veerashaiva religion, when he actually established the Lingayat religion,” he said
Two seers of the influential Lingayat community, which has for long been the mainstay of the BJP, have also come out against the alleged misrepresentation of facts in a lesson on Basavanna, the founder of the community that came into being in the 12th century.
Sri Pantitaradhya Shivacharya Swamy of Sanehalli in Chitradurga and Sri Basavajaya Mrutyunjaya Swamy of Koodalasangama have expressed dismay at the factual errors in the lesson on Basavanna.
In his letter, Sri Panditaradhya Swamy stated that it was wrong to provide incorrect information about the teachings of Basavanna and threatened to launch an agitation if the required corrections were not made.
Sri Basavajaya Swamy expressed shock and disbelief at the contents on Basavanna in the revised textbook and said he felt as if he was hit by a stone while reading them.
Bommai on Wednesday told reporters in Udupi that the education minister had been asked to submit a report on Thursday and a suitable decision would be taken to sort out the issues. “We will discuss the matter with writers and consider the opinions of the seers once we get the report tomorrow.”
