Mumbai: The Congress has strongly condemned the inclusion of a lesson on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the syllabus of the Nagpur University.
The Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University has included the topic ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its role in nation-building’ in the second-year BA (History) course curriculum. While the third section of the syllabus has details about the ‘role of RSS in nation-building’, the first section speaks about the establishment of the Congress and the rise of Jawaharlal Nehru and the second section dwells on issues like the civil disobedience movement.
The move has created a furore in the state. State Congress chief Ashok Chavan said, “What connection does the RSS have with the development of the nation? It is highly condemnable that an education system is being used to spread the RSS’ ideology.”
Terming the organisation a most divisive force, Mr Chavan claimed it had collaborated with British, opposed the freedom movement, refrained from hoisting the tricolour for 52 years as it considered it inauspicious and wanted the Manusmriti in lieu of the Constitution.
“If at all they want to teach students about the RSS, they should be told why the organization was banned three times. The RSS is being promoted by misusing power, but the truth will always prevail, he added.
Founded in 1925 by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the RSS — the largest voluntary group is the world — was banned in 1948 when a former member Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi; during the Emergency (1975–77); and after the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
