No one should glorify reactionary ideologies and its leaders, says Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

As various student unions raised allegations of saffronisation against the Kannur University in Kerala over inclusion of portions of books of RSS ideologues in its PG course, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said his government will not glorify the ideas and leaders who had turned their back on the freedom struggle.

The Kannur University had been witnessing protests by opposition student unions since Thursday against its decision to include portions of books of RSS leader M S Golwalkar and Hindu Mahasabha leader V D Savarkar in its Post Graduate course.

Vijayan said no one should glorify reactionary ideologies and the leaders who uphold such ideas. He said a two-member expert committee has already been appointed to look into the matter and necessary steps will be taken by the university based on the panel’s recommendation.

“Our stand is clear that we don’t glorify the ideas and leaders who had turned their back on the freedom struggle. Nobody should do that. Sometimes, the reactionary ideologies need to be critically evaluated. But no one should glorify such ideologies and the leaders who upheld those ideas,” Vijayan told a press meet.

The chief minister said the university has already appointed a two-member expert committee to look into the matter.

“The university will take necessary steps based on their recommendation,” Vijayan said.

The committee, comprising experts outside the varsity, has been asked to submit its report within five days and further decision on the syllabus would be taken after that, university vice-chancellor Gopinath Ravindran said earlier in the day.

“The saffronisation allegation is completely baseless. If you raise such allegations against Kannur University, you can raise similar charges against Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi also. V D Savarkar is included in the syllabus of JNU also,” he told the media.

The inclusion of Savarkar and Golwalkar in the syllabus need not be seen as part of saffronisation move, the vice chancellor, who faced intense protests by the students’ unions over the issue, said.

“When the portions of their texts are included in the syllabus, there should also be texts of those representing other ideologies which would help the students compare both and develop the skill of critical inquiry. That is missing here which is a drawback I feel in this syllabus,” Ravindran explained. When asked whether the Higher Education Minister R Bindhu sought an explanation from him over the issue, the vice chancellor said he has already submitted a reply to the government. The Minister told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram that it was dangerous that communal contents find place in the academic syllabus. Though the university unit of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the ruling CPI(M)’s students wing, did not oppose the syllabus initially, its state president Sachin Dev on Friday said the outfit is against the present syllabus and inclusion of RSS ideologues’ books “unacceptable”. Earlier in the day, Youth Congress activists blocked the vice chancellor’s car in the university campus and did not allow him to enter his office demanding withdrawal of the controversial portions from the syllabus. They dispersed only after university authorities informed them setting up of the external panel to review the syllabus. Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Congress, and Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the student wing of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) staged a protest in the campus on Thursday over the issue. According to the unions, the University has included portions from Golwalkar’s books including “Bunch of Thoughts” and Savarkar’s “Hindutva: Who Is a Hindu?” in the syllabus of the third semester students of MA Governance and Politics. The syllabus was not prepared by the Board of Studies but by teachers of Thalassery Brennen College and it was decided by the Vice Chancellor, they alleged. The MA Governance and Politics is taught only in Brennen College under Kannur University. PTI RRT BN BN



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