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New Delhi: A cartoon
on Dalit icon Dr. B.R. Ambedkar printed in an NCERT textbook
created a storm in the Lok Sabha Friday with some members saying
it was insulting and should be withdrawn.
The uproar, which began soon after the house met, led to the Lok
Sabha being adjourned till noon.
The issue of the cartoon, which also features Jawaharlal Nehru and
was published in the textbook for Class 11, was raised by Thol.
Thirumavalavan of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal, a Tamil Nadu-based
party.
He was supported by MPs cutting across party lines.
Thirumavalavan told the house that the cartoon was "insulting to
Ambedkar, Nehru and the whole nation."
He wanted the book withdrawn immediately and Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal to come to the house and make a
statement on it.
Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee, responding to the issue,
said the printing of the cartoon in the textbook was "totally
wrong" and that he "entirely" agreed with the sentiments of all
sections of the house.
He said it would not have been possible for the constitution to be
ready in the short span of three years without the tireless work
of Ambedkar.
Mukherjee also promised the house that he would ask Sibal to make
a statement in the house on the issue.
However, the trouble continued, forcing Speaker Meira Kumar to
adjourn the house till noon.
The cartoon in the textbook had triggered protests in Tamil Nadu
Thursday. The cartoon, by renowned cartoonist Shankar, depicts
Nehru, with a whip in his hand, chasing Ambedkar, who is seated on
a snail. In the cartoon, Nehru is asking Ambedkar to speed up the
work on the constitution.
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