Terming the revision of school textbooks by the Rohith Chakrathirtha-headed textbook revision committee as Sangh Parivar’s attempt to distort non-Vedic schools of Indian philosophies, the Kalaburagi chapter of Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha demanded the complete withdrawal of the textbooks revised by the committee and resignation of Education Minister B.C. Nagesh, who consistently supported the revision.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and submitted to the office of Kalaburagi Deputy Commissioner, Sreeshaila Ghooli, Kalyanappa Patil, Chandrashekhar Bijapure, Sharanagouda Patil, Santosh Patil, Jagannath Pattanashetti and other leaders of the organisation specifically took exceptions to the way the 12th Century reformer Basavanna’s life and work were presented in the Social Science textbook meant for Class IX and warned the government of a statewide agitation if the textbook was not withdrawn.

“Basavanna had torn and thrown away his Janivara [the sacred thread that Brahmins wear] to get rid of his orthodox Brahmin identity. It was his biggest revolutionary step. For the Rohith Chakrathirtha-headed committee, it was indigestible poison. That is why it had deliberately dropped this important aspect [from the description of Basavanna],” they said in the letter.

They also took objections to terming Basavanna’s philosophy as ‘Shakti Vishishtadvaita’ and Basavnna as the reformer of Veerashaiva faith.

“Basavanna had held one’s Arivu [awareness] as one’s Guru [teacher]. He was a philosopher who founded the Lingayat way of life. The Vachanas of the 12th Century make it clear. Yet, these Vedic-diseased people never accepted the movement of Sharanas hailing the labouring masses… Those who distorted Basavanna’s core personality were not innocent. Their intention is clear. It is a conspiracy to say that Basavanna and other Sharanas were not anti-Vedic and project Basavanna’s Shakti Vishishtadvaita as a branch of Vedic Darshana,” they said.

“Withdraw the textbook revised by the Rohith Chakrathirtha-headed committee immediately. The Kalaburagi chapter of Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha hereby makes it clear that it would not allow any distortion of Basavanna’s history and wrong impression of Basavanna in the minds of children. If this distorted history is taught, a statewide agitation would become inevitable,” the letter said.