No chapters on Mangarh Dham, Kalibai scrapped from school syllabus: Rajasthan education minister

Kota/Jaipur, Sep 18 (PTI) Rajasthan Education and Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar on Thursday denied the removal of chapters on Mangarh Dham and Veer Kalibai, who is known for her contribution to tribal education, from elementary school textbooks, calling it a "false propaganda" by the Congress.

Addressing a press conference at his residence here, he said no chapter had been dropped by the Rajasthan State Council of Education Research and Training (RSERT) from the syllabus of elementary classes.

The one on Mangarh Dham has in fact been "elaborated with pictorial illustrations for better understanding of children", Dilawar asserted.

Earlier in the day, former chief minister and Congress MP Ashok Gehlot had condemned the Rajasthan government for its deliberate attempts to "erase" the contributions of tribal communities from people's memories.

"This act of removing the history of Mangarh Dham from the fourth-grade textbook exemplifies the BJP's petty mindset regarding tribal identity. Previously, the lesson on the brave Kalibai, who ignited the flame of education, had been removed," he alleged in a post on X.

"The BJP should apologise to the tribal society for this act and immediately reinstate the heroic tales of the tribal society and the history of Mangarh Dham in the syllabus," the former chief minister further said. Displaying the copies of the chapters during the press conference Dilawar said the chapter titled 'Hamare Prerak' (Our Inspiration) is still in the book with details and pictorial illustrations for easier understanding of children.

He also informed that the chapter on Veer Kalibai, earlier in an environment textbook, has only been shifted to a social science book on the advice of education experts.

"The Congress is misguiding people as it is rattled by the improvement in education standards in government schools," he alleged, adding that all great personalities are revered and respected by the state government.

Dilawar also alleged that the Congress is a brain-child of the Englishmen (British), who knew to rule by diving the people.

The controversy erupted after reports claimed that chapters on Mangarh Dham, a site of significance for the Bhil tribal community in Banswara has been removed from textbooks.

Banswara district’s Mangarh Dham, located near the Rajasthan-Gujarat border, is a historically significant site for the tribal community, particularly the Bhils. It is often referred to as the "Jallianwala Bagh of Rajasthan" due to the massacre that occurred there in 1913.

The site is associated with Govind Guru, a revered social reformer and tribal leader who led the Bhagat movement, a religious and social awakening movement among the Bhils against British rule and local exploitation.

The reports had also claimed that the RSERT has removed a lesson on Veer Kalibai, known for her contribution to education in tribal areas, from the curriculum. PTI COR SDA OZ OZ