What's there in CU textbook article of Arundhati Roy which has sparked controversy?
Tuesday, 28 July 2020 (10:28 IST)
Kozhikode: With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala Unit President K Surendran lambasting on the authorities who included a controversial article of Dr Arundhati Roy in a text book of Calicut University, a new controversy is snowballing in the political circles in the state.
It was the article "Come September", written by Booker-prize winner Dr Arundhati Roy, which was included in a textbook of the third semester BA English Literature stream of the University that kicked off the controversy against the Varsity.
Describing the article as ''anti-national'', Mr Surendran had on Sunday alleged that it was an attempt to create religious divide among the students and demanded immediate withdrawal of the controversial article from the syllabi.
He went a step further with his demand to slap treason charges against the editors who included Roy's article in the syllabus besides withdrawing the same from the syllabus forthwith.
Pointing out that Dr Roy in her article had been critical of Indian Army for resorting to what according to her "inhuman activities against the Pakistani separatists", Mr Surendran demanded that the Central Government should order a probe into the intricacies of such derogatory and anti-national statements.
The article by Dr Roy has also been critical of the US for its war on terror, misuses of nationalism among other contemporary issues and is available in the social media, it was pointed out. It also defends even the Al-Qaeda, he said.
The BJP state president said the article also justified the suicide bombers in various parts of the country and alleged the Government for wiping out minorities and challenging democracy. The article have also been critical of India's nuclear experiments and large dams, Mr Surendran pointed out.
The University authorities said the issue has not come up or been discussed in the Syndicate meeting held this morning. However, the issue will be discussed at a meeting of the Board of Studies and would take a decision.(UNI)
