"Previous Congress govt responsible...": Rajasthan Education Minister on recalling two textbooks on 2002 Godhra incident

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], November 1 (ANI): After the Rajasthan government recalled textbooks on the 2002 Godhra train incident, State Education Minister Madan Dilawar said on Friday that the previous Congress government was responsible for introducing two controversial books in the school syllabus of the state.
Minister Dilawar alleged that spreading discord in the society is the nature of Congress, and stated that the current government has no involvement in their selection.
"They were selected by the then Education Secretary on September 19, 2023, and after that, the final test was conducted on October in two parts by the then Education Secretary and the then minister," he said.
"That is why the current BJP government has nothing to do with this. The selectors were from the Congress government. During the BJP regime, only two books have been added, including the 'Vaccine ki Gatha' and 'Chidi Ko Moti Ladyo'. Whatever selection has been made regarding other books, it has all been done by the Congress," the Education Minister clarified.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government has recalled two books "Adrashye Log" and "Jeevan ki Bahar" that are based on the 2002 Godhra train incident.
On September 29, 2023, the selection committee, led by the then Education Secretary, approved 99 additional books, bringing the total to 105. These books were submitted on September 19, 2023, with final approvals granted between September 29 and October 3.
Following recent concerns, both controversial books have been recalled, and a thorough investigation is underway. Content related to the Godara incident is under legal review, in compliance with Supreme Court orders, with further action pending.
The State Education Ministry emphasised that these books are intended for library reference only, with no link to the academic curriculum.
Earlier today, former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot responded to Education Minister Dilawar's remarks about the lack of textbooks related to the Godhra incident during Gehlot's previous administration where he said, "I don't have any information on this matter, but you know the minister. He can say anything about anyone. The Chief Minister hasn't commented on this. I have said that I don't have any information, but adding or removing subjects from textbooks is not a good tradition. There should be a committee that decides which subjects to include and which to exclude, and there is indeed a committee for that." (ANI)