Textbook Row: BJD youth, students wing to 'ghearo' assembly demanding minister's resignation

Bhubaneswar: BJD's youth and students wing on Sunday announced they would gherao the Odisha Assembly on September 22 to demand the resignation of School and Mass Education minister Nityananda Gond over errors in school textbooks.

Addressing a press conference on the issue of error-ridden textbooks, Biju Yuva Janata Dal State president Chinmay Sahu and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal State president Ipsita Sahu came down heavily on the Odisha government for not supplying error-free textbooks even four months after the mistakes were detected.

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"If School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond does not resign by September 22, the Yuva and Chhatra BJD will sit on an indefinite day-and-night dharna in front of the Assembly from September 22. We appeal to youth and students from across the state to participate in the agitation," said Chinmay Sahu.

BJD flags textbook errors

He also sought the support of social organisations, parents, intellectuals and senior citizens. Both the BJD leaders said that there are serious errors in the textbooks prescribed for students from Class I to 8, yet the state government has not withdrawn them. Examinations of students are going to be conducted within the next few days.

"How will students appear for examinations after studying from error-ridden textbooks?" they asked. Despite being fully aware of the errors in the textbooks, the state government distributed books containing numerous mistakes among students, the BJD alleged, adding that the tender for publication of the new textbooks was awarded to an influential BJP leader associated with the Central government.

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"There has been a Rs 380 crore scam in the publication of textbooks. The concerned minister, Nityananda Gond, is also involved in this corruption," the BJD alleged. Meanwhile, Gond said the state government is taking steps to ensure distribution of error-free textbooks very soon.

The proofreading of the books is currently underway, he said, adding that the government is keeping a close watch on the process and making arrangements to provide corrected and error-free textbooks at the earliest.