Karnataka Congress Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the BJP tried to promote a particular ideology in the field of education as well, which is unacceptable. (Image: @Dinesh Gundu Rao/Twitter)
The Karnataka minister said that the government intends to see how the land allotments were done, the purpose behind it and whether they were justified.
In the news since the review of hundreds of acres of land allotted to the RSS and its affiliates by the previous BJP government, Karnataka minister Dinesh Gundu Rao speaking to News18 said that other decisions like the hijab ban and the halal row will also be taken into consideration.
Rejecting the BJP’s allegations that the Siddaramaiah government was practicing vendetta politics, Rao said it was the saffron party which was known for troubling the opposition, especially at the Centre.
Edited excerpts:
You mentioned that the Congress government will review all the land allotted to the RSS and its affiliates. Are you planning to cancel those allotments?
A large part of the land, which belongs to the government, has been allotted to the RSS, its affiliated unions and other institutions. All these will be looked into.
Are you suggesting that these allocations were not done in a transparent manner?
No. We want to see how these allocations were made, what was the purpose behind it and whether they were justified. After all, a lot of land has been given to trusts run by the RSS and the government should investigate this.
Several important laws were passed by the previous BJP government, such as the anti-cow slaughter law and the anti-conversion law. Minister K Venkatesh has also commented on the anti-cow slaughter law. Will it be reviewed?
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also said that he will review it. It is important to highlight that farmers and farmer unions have approached our government, expressed their concerns and urged us to re-evaluate the law. The livelihood of farmers is being affected by this law. While the Cow Slaughter Act of 1963 is already in force, the newly enacted law needs to be amended. Farmers who live with and take care of cows have petitioned us many times that moving old cows has become a problem. He has requested a review of the law for the sake of the economy.
What about the decisions taken on issues like hijab and halal? Will they also be reviewed?
Yes, the government will review those decisions. Our Congress government is determined not to allow any decision that tries to divide or communalise the society. We will take decisions in the best interest of maintaining social harmony.
What about the allegations that the BJP government tried to saffronise education, especially with regard to the removal of references to Tipu Sultan and anecdotes about Veer Savarkar from textbooks? Will there be any attempt to restore what was removed from the textbooks?
The BJP tried to distort and propagate an ideology even in the field of education, which is unacceptable. Education should be imparted on the basis of facts and should not be used as a means of propagating any particular ideology. Children’s mind should be open, not closed, as it was done during the previous government. Hence, there is a need to remodel the school curriculum from that point of view.
The BJP has accused the new Congress government in Karnataka of being vindictive and targeting the BJP at every opportunity. How do you react?
Such allegations are baseless. No such decision has been taken. The BJP is known to be vindictive and harass opposition parties, especially at the central level. He has become adept at silencing media, NGOs and citizens who raise their voice against his policies. We have seen how the Narendra Modi government has acted against those who oppose the policies of the BJP.
Just think how the Center mishandled the issue involving our wrestlers who not only made our country proud but also put us on the world map. Should we be treating our athletes like this? BJP should think before making such statements. Basavaraj Bommai claimed that Karnataka is under a state of emergency under the Congress, but the fact is that our country is under an undeclared emergency under the BJP.
