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Kerala college magazine draws ire over poem on Kunti

Agencies
June 16, 2017

Thiruvananthapuram: A student magazine of a college in Kerala has courted controversy for publishing a poem that allegedly questions the chastity of Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata.

Kunti

The five-line poem, 'Chodyam' (question), has been penned by a student of the Manjeri-based NSS College. It questions why the topic does not feature in television debates.

Right-wing group, Hindu Aikya Vedi, has slammed the government-aided institution for publishing the poem, which it alleged has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.

College Principal Azad Malaattil said that it was not their intention to hurt any sentiments.

"If sentiments have been hurt, we express our apologies," the principal said.

The magazine was brought out a couple of days ago and instructions have been given not to circulate further copies, he said.

The poem comes close on the heels of the publication of a magazine by the 125-year-old Brennen College of Thalassery which contained a caricature allegedly depicting a man and a woman in a compromising position in a theatre when the national anthem is being played.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad has filed a complaint before the Kannur SP seeking action against the Thalassery college authorities.

The magazine was published by the Students' Federation of India (SFI), a pro-CPI(M) students' union.

The magazine, 'Pellet' was brought out by the SFI activists as part of the 125 year celebrations of Brennen College, the alma mater of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

However, when contacted, college principal Murlidas said that there was nothing wrong with the magazine, adding that certain drawings in it could cause a misunderstanding, "if viewed from a narrow-minded perspective".

The BJP demanded an apology from the SFI for "insulting the national anthem" and said the magazine should be withdrawn immediately.

BJP general secretary K Surendran told reporters that not only the Left students' outfit, but the college staff council as well as the principal were responsible for the incident.

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News Network
February 17,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 17: Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah on Monday demanded that forest minister Anand Singh should either be expelled from the Cabinet or assigned a different portfolio.

This comes amid a number of cases, pending against Singh, including those under the Karnataka Forest Act.

"How can we expect justice from Anand Singh who has been made forest minister and is accused of (illegal mining)? We demand that he should either be dropped out of the state Cabinet or at least his portfolio be changed," Siddaramaiah told media.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa allocated portfolios to the 10 newly inducted ministers in his Cabinet.

As part of state Cabinet's expansion, 10 MLAs including Ramesh Jarkiholi, Anand Singh, K Sudhakar, and BA Basavaraja took oath as ministers at Raj Bhawan in Bengaluru on February 6.

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News Network
June 11,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 11: Amid rising COVID-19 cases in the district, the officials of Pilikula Zoological Park are also following quarantine policies for animals similar to those for people arriving in the state from other places.

Zoo officials said that these rules apply only for animals that are brought from other locations.

The officials are keeping animals brought in a separate room for one to two months and their health is monitored by expert Doctors. If there are no symptoms of any diseases, the animals will be clubbed with other Zoo animals.

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News Network
July 29,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 29: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Tuesday criticised BJP-led Karnataka government for limiting or omitting various topics including chapters on 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali.

Speaking to media here at Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office, Shivakumar said Congress will not allow BJP government in Karnataka to "divert history".

"Tipu Sultan does not belong to one caste or a class. He is part of the history of this country. BJP government has removed chapters related to him for its political advantage. It is their decision whether they celebrate Tipu Sultan Jayanti or not, but he is part of our history. 

The President of this country Ramnath Kovind came to the Vidhan Sabha and praised Tipu's patriotism during a joint session," Shivakumar said.

"The BJP government has come to power today. Our history should not change. We will not let these people to covert or dilute history. This is the stand of the Congress party. Our experts will study the pros and cons of this decision," he added.

Shivakumar further said many countries around the world have praised the Constitution, Indian history and expressed their willingness to "adapt it".

"But the BJP is trying to curtail this. We need to educate our children. Our team will also study this and we will not let this happen," he said.
The Karnataka government, in a bid to reduce the syllabus for state board schools by 30 per cent, has limited or omitted various topics including chapters on Mysuru rulers Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan from the class 7 social science textbook.

The reduction in syllabus comes as schools are closed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the state, and classes have been moved online.
The Department of Public Instruction of the Karnataka government also limited or removed various other topics from the syllabus of class 6 to 10 as they were repeated or can be alternatively taught.

Earlier, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had revised the syllabus for the classes IX to XII for the academic session 2020-21 in a "one-time measure" owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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