Gandhiji booklet row : Odisha speaker directs minister to give

With a Odisha government booklet creating hue and cry in the state for describing Mahatma Gandhi's death as an "accident", Speaker S N Patro Friday asked the school and mass education minister Samir Ranjan Dash to give a statement in the House by Saturday.

The issue was raised in the Assembly both during the question hour and zero hour when members cutting across party lines expressed concern over the misleading fact on the Father of the Nation and condemned it.

The two-page booklet 'Aama Bapuji: Eka Jhalaka' (Our Bapuji: A Glimpse) has been published by the school and mass education department on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

It presents a brief account of the Mahatma's teachings, works and links with Odisha, while also stating that he "died due to accidental reasons in a sudden sequence of events on January 30, 1948 at Delhi's Birla House".

The government has ordered a probe to ascertain the circumstances that led to the publication of the booklet by the school and mass education department for distribution in state-run and state-aided schools.

"The school and mass education minister will make a statement in the House tomorrow," Patro said in his ruling.

Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingha Mishra demanded an apology from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

"The chief minister should tender an apology to the people of India if the blunder has been committed unwittingly. If the act has been done knowingly, then I demand the chief minister's resignation," Mishra said in the assembly.

The CLP leader also questioned the state government's motive for the "misleading" information.

"I doubt the motive behind this misleading information on Gandhiji is because of the changed relationship between the (ruling) BJD and BJP. A section of BJP leaders are worshiping Nathuram Godse, who had killed Gandhiji," he said.

"It appears that BJD has totally surrendered before BJP. Therefore this booklet could be part of the BJD-BJP secret alliance," Mishra said.

Dubbing the two parties as "two sides of the same coin" he said, "The secret alliance between the BJD and BJP is now in the open. BJD has donated a Rajya Sabha seat to BJP and is also supporting all controversial bills of the NDA government."
Alleging that the government has made a "deliberate attempt" to mislead children, senior CPI(M) leader Janardan Pati said "A lie has been presented in a cunning manner and the chief minister should apologise for the blunder."