Panel will take up TN cartoon row: Sibal

The DMK,that is an ally of the ruling UPA at the Centre,had also lent its support to the demand

Taking cognizance of the complaint by MDMK general secretary Vaiko regarding a cartoon on the 1965 anti-Hindi agitation in an NCERT textbook,Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal today issued a statement saying that the issue would be examined by the committee already instituted by the ministry to review NCERT textbooks.

There have been certain news items in the media regarding statements by leaders from Tamil Nadu in connection with a cartoon on the anti Hindi movement in the NCERT textbooks8230; The NCERT has already constituted a committee on 14th May,2012,under the chairmanship of Prof S K Thorat,to review the Classes IX-XII social science/political science textbooks from the point of view of identifying educationally inappropriate material in them and to provide suggestions for alternatives8230; This issue is also being examined by the committee as a part of the exercise8230; The committee is likely to submit its report shortly, Sibal said in a statement.

In a letter to Sibal and NCERT Director Parvin Sinclair,Vaiko had demanded removal of the cartoon calling it a distorted view of history and saying it hurt the sentiments of people of Tamil Nadu. The DMK,that is an ally of the ruling UPA at the Centre,had also lent its support to the demand.

Vaiko also said that the cartoon amounted to maligning the Dravidian movement. The R K Laxman cartoon appears on page 153 of the textbook Politics in India,since Independence.

Prof Yogendra Yadav who was chief advisor to the Textbook Committee that brought out this textbook in 2005 has defended the cartoon,saying the chapter it is in actually celebrates the Dravidian movement.

Keep Nehru promise not to impose Hindi,DMK urges Centre

Days after demanding the removal of a cartoon on the anti-Hindi stir,DMK chief M Karunanidhi Tuesday charged some officials and fanatics with trying to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states and asked the Centre to keep the promise give by late PM Jawaharlal Nehru on the language issue. Writing in party mouthpiece Murasoli,he said the NCERT cartoon was part of efforts to impose the language. Similarly,I have been informed that one of the criteria for consideration for promotion in public sector banks is efforts towards promoting Hindi.