The Bihar government on Thursday took serious note of the removal of chapters on veteran socialist leaders Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia from the Post Graduate political science syllabus of the JP University at Chhapra in Saran district.
It sought an explanation from the varsity, ironically named after Jayaprakash Narayan.
Other eminent figures whose names have been omitted from the syllabus include Dayanand Saraswati, Raja Ram Mohan Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. New additions include Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay, Subhas Chandra Bose and Jyotiba Phule.
“The Vice-Chancellor and Registrar of the university have been asked to explain, and if there is no satisfactory response, they have to come to the State education department secretariat to explain the background,” Education Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, he said, had expressed surprise and anguish and directed that the issue be resolved immediately.
“The issue has been brought into the notice of the honourable Chancellor as well, who is currently outside the State,” the Minister said. He directed his department to gather information about changes made in the syllabus of other Universities in the State in recent days.
“If anything improper and illegal is found, necessary corrective action will be taken,” he asserted.
