The Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli on Wednesday decided to withdraw a book authored by the ultra-left wing ‘intellectual’ and a notorious anti-India propagandist Arundhati Roy from their syllabus after a huge protest by the university students.
According to reports, the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli had to withdraw the controversial book – “Walking with the Comrades” written by Naxal sympathiser Arundhati Roy after Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) protested against the inclusion of the book in its postgraduate English syllabus
Reportedly, the book is based on Roy’s visit to Maoist hideouts and her interactions with the left-wing terrorists. The book was a part of the syllabus in the university since 2017 for a course in BA English language and literature students in the third semester.
Book replaced after students protest
Following the severe opposition, the MSU university Vice-Chancellor K Pitchumani chaired a meeting and decided that the book will be removed and replaced with a few essays from naturalist M Krishnan’s “My Native Land: Essays on Nature”.
“The book was included in the syllabus in 2017. It was only a week ago that it was brought to our notice that Ms. Roy had glorified Maoists. So we formed a committee to discuss the issue and the panel recommended its withdrawal,” Pitchumani said.
He also added that besides the ABVP, others complained too and the issue assumed multiple dimensions, resulting in the university deciding to withdraw the book. It is appropriate that Krishnan is from Tirunelveli, he also added.
ABVP Dakshin Tamil Nadu joint secretary C Vignesh, who led the protests said that it was regrettable that Maoist and Naxal ideas had been imposed on the students for the last three years. “The teachers also taught an anti-national subject. Students are subjected to mental agony as the book encourages hatred against our country,” he added.
Vignesh also warned that if the University delayed its decision to withdraw the book from the syllabus, the ABVP will bring it to the notice of the Union Ministry of Education. “We will launch protests,” he had warned.