Lalu Yadav chapter excluded from syllabus

Class Vlll students of government schools in Bihar no longer be able to read the chapter on Lalu Prasad Yadav as it has finally been excluded from the Hindi text book after the recent review, which soon had caught in controversy just after its incorporation into syllabus.

The chapter Mitti Ke Gaurav projected former chief minister of Bihar as gaurav (pride) of the land was part of the Hindi prose textbook, Gadya Sopan since 1994.

The chapter had been included in the syllabus on the recommendations of the editorial board of the Bihar State Text Book Corporation. Ramvachan Rai, present RJD President was then a member of the board.

Bihar Administrative Service Officer Dr Harivansh Narayan, who is at present under suspension, had written the chapter. The Election Commission had also barred him from election duty in 2005.

"We have decided to strike off the entire chapter, which also included the lives of former state chief ministers Bhola Paswan Shastri and Karpoori Thakur as the stature of these leaders was not exalted enough to be included in the academic curriculum," said Anjani Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of the Human Resource Development Department.

“Not much should be read into the decision. It was an old decision, which has been implemented now,� he added further.

The chapter will now be replaced with a life sketch of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, a 19th century social reformer and educationist.

State human resource development minister Brishin Patel said the decision should not viewed as “political�. “It is just an attempt to provide better reading material to students. The contribution of Jyotiba Phule is much more than that of Lalu Prasad,� he said.

The chapter recounted how these personalities rose to become chief ministers of the state. Lalu had been praised as a “jewel of Bihar� in Mitti Ke Gaurav. Lalu Yadav projected as Krishna and his most trusted lieutenant Ranjan Prasad was labelled as Sudama.

Unexpectedly The RJD has decided not to protest. “This is an anti-poor government. How can it tolerate something on Lalu, who has risen from a poor background,� said Shyam Razak, RJD spokesperson.