Date:04/07/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/04/stories/2005070403240300.htm

Karnataka - Bidar

`Congress cannot be blamed for confusion in JD(S)'

Staff Correspondent

Minister terms the turmoil in the party as a `self-respect movement'

BIDAR: "The confusion in Janata Dal (Secular) over the Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's plans to join the Congress, is the result of the struggle between the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda's feudalistic attitude and the former's self respect. Our only hope is that Mr. Siddaramaiah's decision is in favour of the Congress," the former Minister and leader of the backward class, H. Vishwanath, said here on Sunday.

According to him, no Congress leader could be held responsible for the confusion in the Janata Dal (S). Terming the confusion as "self-respect movement" within the Janata Dal (S), Mr. Vishwanath felt that a few leaders had over simplified the issue. It is not as simple as inviting Mr. Siddarmaiah to join the Congress. It is an issue which has great ramifications to the party and the backward classes, he said.

Mr. Vishwnath supported the decision to introduce English from the first standard in government schools. "The move will make students from rural areas and deprived communities confident and improve their information base," the Minister said.

He alleged that the forward communities were using a systematic ploy to deny English education to the backward communities to maintain monopoly.

He called upon the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti and other associations to change the direction of their agitation and demand for English education and computer literacy.

He accused the president of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Chandrashekar Patil, of being a hypocrite.

Prof. Patil achieved prominence as a writer of the Bandaya tradition, which rebelled against the tyranny of establishment and created awareness among the backward classes.

Mr. Vishwanath said that by opposing English education, Prof. Patil is supporting the establishment, which is against the interests of the backward classes.

He said that the latter should introspect and support the cause of English education.

The Minister alleged that senior writer and critic, Chidananda Murthy, and others supporting the anti-English agitation were also hypocrites. "They send their children and grandchildren to English medium schools and come to Kannada Sahitya Parishat to oppose English education," he charged.

He said that there is no legal hurdle in introducing English from the first standard.

"The Supreme Court decision that a few pro-Kannada agitators are citing has nothing to do with the introduction of English in government schools," he said.

Refusing to comment on him aspiring to be the next president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr. Vishwanath said it is upto the party's high command to take a decision in this regard.