The move has attracted a lot of flak from political leaders.
The Singur Movement led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been added to the syllabus of a revised edition of the Class VIII history text book of schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.
The book titled ‘Atit o Aitijhho ’ now has an added chapter of the people’s movement. But while the Telangana Movement had been covered in two pages and the Narmada Bachao Movement and Silent Valley Movement had been wrapped up in a paragraph of five lines or less, the Singur Movement covers seven pages, complete with several pictures of Mamata and other leaders. It also has a timeline at the end showing how Mamata and her leaders initiated the movement in 2006 and emerged victorious in 2016 following the verdict of the Supreme Court.
The write-up contains vivid details about how Mamata led the movement and also has the names of 13 TMC leaders including Dr Partha Chatterjee, Sovan Chatterjee, Firhad Hakim, Mukul Roy and over 20 intellectuals who had supported the movement.
Avik Majumder, chairman of the expert committee which decides the syllabus said it was incorporated following a proposal from the state government. “Of course there had been a proposal from the state government, but it merits a place in history because it is the biggest and most significant farmers’ movement of the century which has led to the highest court to order a change in the rule made during the British era,” he told DNA. Asked about the inclusion of the names of TMC leaders he said, “If they had led the movement how can you discard their names? Besides, no name of any political party has been mentioned,” he added.
In September last year after the Supreme Court verdict, state education minister Dr Partha Chatterjee had said that the government would send a proposal to the Syllabus Committee for the inclusion of the Singur Movement.
It was found that the supply of books to schools had been delayed because of the late arrival of these books after the addition. Schools are yet to get the books and the English version of the book is yet to arrive from the printers.
It has, naturally, attracted a lot of flak from political leaders. State Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Adhir Chowdhury said that it was the ‘Trinamoolisation of education’. “Mamata Banerjee’s attempt to change the rule was turned down by the High Court. Later the Supreme Court gave a verdict on the basis of some landlosers petition and Mamata was quick to take credit of the outcome,” he told DNA.
State CPIM secretary Surjyakanta Mishra said that they would put up a protest against the move.
BJP state president and party MLA Dilip Ghosh said that the TMC leaders were trying to force their names in history. “They don’t understand that they might soon be history in the process. History is created by eminents who are regarded worthy by people in general. Some of the names mentioned in the book might as well get into prison soon. What will teachers tell students in that case?” Ghosh told DNA.
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