Panel recommends retaining chapters on Tipu Sultan in Karnataka textbooks
Bengaluru, Dec 12: An expert panel set up by the BJP government in Karnataka to look into the issue of removing chapters on Tipu Sultan from textbooks has submitted its recommendation, saying the 18th century Mysuru ruler cannot be ignored from the school syllabus.
The Committee, comprising historians and academicians, submitted its report on December 9 to the then Karnataka Textbook Society chairman H N Gopalakrishna.
"We have recommended that Tipu Sultan cannot be ignored from Karnataka's history because it will lead to a missing link," a member of the committee told PTI on condition of anonymity.
Two reports were submitted by the committee one for textbooks of primary classes (classes 6 and 7) and another one for high school (Tenth) a KTBS official said.
In both the reports, the committee maintained that there could have been negative shades in historical characters, which could be found in all the rulers.
"If we highlight only Tipu Sultan then we will have to portray other rulers too in a similar manner," the committee member pointed out.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had in October indicated his government's plans to remove lessons on Tipu Sultan from middle school history textbooks, saying he did not believe the controversial ruler of erstwhile Mysore kingdom was a freedom fighter.
"Tipu - we are going to drop everything and even in text book also (lesson regarding him) ...we are thinking to cancel," he said, days after BJP MLA Appachu Rajan demanded removal of the lessons saying it carried "wrong information".
Ranjan alleged that Tipu had carried out large-scale genocide and conversion in Kodagu.
He even submitted a memorandum with "documentary evidence" to prove his point, following which the expert committee was constituted.
The expert panel took note of Ranjan's allegations and examined them. However, it did not find evidence sufficient to agree with the MLA's claims, the member said.
"Leaders and people of Kodagu district have been talking about the genocide but when we look at the demographic divide now, things have changed a lot.
I won't call it genocide," another historian, who was part of the committee, said.
Soon after the BJP government came to power in Karnataka in July, it abolished the birth anniversary celebrations of Tipu Sultan, an annual government event the party had been opposing since November, 2015 when it was launched during the Congress rule, led by Siddaramaiah.
The BJP and right wing organisations have been strongly opposing Tipu, calling the erstwhile Mysore king a "religious bigot."
The saffron party has also alleged that the Congress party was celebrating the birthday of a religious bigot as part of its minority appeasement politics.
The Karnataka Textbook Society will submit the report to the State government which will take a call on it, according to a panel member.
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Hearing in defamation case against Rahul Gandhi postponed till March 27
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): Hearing in the defamation case involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which was scheduled to take place on Monday at the MP-MLA Court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district, could not take place due to the non-appearance of the plaintiff Vijay Mishra.
The court will now hear this matter on March 27.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the advocate of the plaintiff, on Monday said that he had submitted a formal application to the court during the previous hearing.
This application requested that the audio and video recordings of the statements made by Rahul Gandhi, which have been presented as evidence, be matched with Rahul Gandhi's authentic voice.
Due to Vijay Mishra's absence, the court has scheduled the next hearing for March 27, when the arguments in the case will be presented.
On February 20, Gandhi, the MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, claiming the case was filed against him due to political vendetta. He had also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.
The case stems from Gandhi's alleged objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign.
Following the remarks, Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint.
In December 2023, the court had issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
