Row over Savarkar, Golwalkar works in varsity’s PG syllabus

Kerala Students Union, the student wing of Congress, on Thursday took out a march to the university and burned copies of the syllabus, alleging that the CPI (M)-controlled University was implementing Sangh Parivar agenda.

Youth Congress state vice-president Rijil Makkutty, who addressed the protest meet, said this showed that RSS agents were controlling the higher education sector in Kerala. “We would continue to protest against the saffronisation of higher education under Pinarayi Vijayan government,” he said.

Kannur University V-C Prof Gopinath Ravindran rejected the allegation of saffronisation. “We have included the works of Gandhiji, Nehru, Ambedkar and Tagore. And the syllabus included the works of Savarkar and Golwalkar. Let students learn and understand the basic text behind all ideologies,” he said. “What they [Savarkar and Golwalkar] stated is part of current Indian politics. What’s wrong with learning that?”