Date:19/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/10/19/stories/2004101907441100.htm

National

Movement needed to realise Gandhiji's India: Arjun Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD, OCT. 18. The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, today lashed out at the communal forces still trying to divide India on the basis of religion, caste, language and regions and called upon the younger generation to be prepared for a "new movement" to realise "Gandhiji's India."

Delivering the 51st convocation address at the Gujarat Vidyapith, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, here today, Mr. Singh without naming any party or organisation, said that people would have to be vigilant against divisive forces for whom Hitler who had caused the most heinous "manslaughter" in his home land was the "ideal" and not Mahatma Gandhi.

Riots shamed India

Mr. Singh said that it was unfortunate that in Gandhiji's Gujarat, school textbooks had references praising Hitler. The Gujarat riots, he said, had shamed the entire country in the comity of nations.

Later during a chat with mediapersons, Mr. Singh said he was not comparing any State leader with Hitler but made the reference based on what he was told about the contents of some textbooks in the State.

He said that the Preamble of the Constitution that gives equal rights to all citizens irrespective of caste, creed and religion was always printed on the first page of the NCERT textbooks.

`Deliberate move'

The fact that this was removed from books published since 2000 was not a mistake or an oversight but a deliberate move.

In a similar move, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was also removed from the textbooks and his killer, Nathuram Godse, was praised as a "staunch Hindu."