Union human resource development minister Arjun Singh on Wednesday alleged the Gujarat government school text books are based on fascist ideology.
"In school text books, Gujarat has followed a trend different from that of the entire nation. Here, text books are based on the fascist ideology and not democratic ethos," Singh said.
"An example is depiction of Hitler, a mass murderer, as an icon in the textbooks. I had tried to interfere, but as this is a state matter, I can just advice," Singh said.
Replying to a question on the need to bring education under central control, Singh said, "As far as ideological bias is concerned, in this country, every party has freedom to give its own perspective. If the Congress comes to power, such kind of aberration will be removed".
In reply to a question on the reservations for OBCs in the institutes of higher education, Singh said the OBCs have suffered inequalities for years and that is the reason why this step was taken.
In the higher education sector, the state is lagging behind in technical education, said the human resource development minister.
On the issue of setting up an Indian Institute of Technology in Gujarat, Singh said, "The Prime Minister has approved setting up of some new IITs. Let's see if Gujarat gets one or not," he added.
Singh said that as per the Constitution, everyone has equal rights but in Gujarat, that was not the case. "The law and order situation in the state has deteriorated. Not every one feels safe in Gujarat," he added.
Even in the case of development, electricity generation has not been up to the mark in Gujarat, the Union minister said and added, "I cannot figure out how a state will progress in such a situation".
"There is a major challenge before the Indian polity to bring Gujarat out of vikruti (distortion) brought by some people. I am hopeful that the people will bring the change," he said.
