The Karnataka ruling BJP government has sparked a public outcry through its decision of adding the speech of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in a revised Kannada textbook for Class 10 students.

While the outrage has been growing across the state for instilling the ideologies of RSS to the students, the concerned minister has advocated that there is nothing wrong with adding Hedgewar's speech. According to reports, the speech of the RSS founder has been included in the Class 10 textbook under a lesson called 'Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaraagabeku?'- (who is an ideal role model).

The decision of including his speech has drawn major objections from across the state and the organizations like All-India Democratic Students Organization had staunchly condemned the state government for assaying to disseminate the RSS idealogy under the guise of education. 

Shockingly, while Hedgewar's speech has been added to the syllabus, a lesson on freedom fighter Bhagat Singh has been omitted. Some of the other additions to the textbook include works by the Vedic scholar late Bannanje Govindacharya and Shatavadhani R Ganesh's 'Shrestha Bharatiya Chintanegalu'. The All-India Democratic Students Organization has issued a statement in which it has condemned the state government and alleged that the BJP government in the state is trying to force the ideology of RSS and the party into textbooks. 

Several organizations have said that the works by renaissance literary figures like AN Murthi Rao's 'Vyaghrageethe', P Lankesh's 'Mrugu Mattu Sundari', and Sara Aboobacker's 'Yuddha' have also been omitted from the textbook. In the midst of the outrage, Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister BC Nagesh has come to the defence of the government's decision of including the speech of the RSS founder in the textbook of Class 10. 

Nagesh said that the textbook does not contain anything about Hegdewar or RSS, but only his speech on what should be an inspiration to people, especially the youth. He cited that the people who had raised objections hadn't gone through the textbook. He further claimed, "Some people want to object to everything and they feel what they have said is only the truth and only their thinking has to be told to society." 

By asking what's wrong with adding Hegdewar's speech in the textbooks,  Nagesh said, "In that speech, Hedgewar had said that one has to take ideology, values, and principles as his or her inspiration. He has spoken about the importance of society and the nation."