New Delhi: Ram is a fictional character, an epic written by the poet Ramayana-Mahabharata. He made this comment while teaching at school. A teacher in Karnataka has been suspended for this ‘crime’. The teacher lost her job following protests by a local BJP MP and a Hindutva group. Hindutva activists also alleged that the accused had made objectionable remarks in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while teaching students in the school. All in all, the religious controversy in Congress-ruled Karnataka is again.
During the BJP rule, Karnataka was rocked by the hijab controversy. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court. After this, the saffron party lost power in the assembly elections. Though the Congress is back in the state, there is no escape from religious unrest and controversies. D Vedvyas Kamath, BJP MLA from Mangaluru City South constituency, is behind the incident. He is behind the Hindutva group that has raised its voice against the teacher of St Gerosa English HR Primary School.
Hindutva activists claim that the teacher has called Ramayana and Mahabharata fictitious and defamed Modi. He invoked the 2002 Godhra riots and the Bilkis Bano case to condemn Modi. He “instilled hatred in the minds of children.” The protest started on Saturday but the BJP MLA joined the protest on Monday. Ved Vyasa demanded the teacher’s dismissal.
