Kolkata: Newly appointed West Bengal Public Education and Library Minister Gouri Shankar Ghosh on Thursday said that books written by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that are considered frivolous will no longer be kept in government libraries.
Government libraries previously had several books authored by Mamata Banerjee, but according to the minister, many of them were not serious works and included meaningless poems. He said that following the change in government in the state, the structure and collection of libraries were also being changed.
Instead, the libraries will now focus on books promoting nationalist thought, statehood, modern science and works by Bengali scholars, he said.
Ghosh said there had been efforts to make the contributions of Syama Prasad Mookerjee forgotten and stressed that his role in history could not be ignored.
“His contribution cannot be forgotten. Therefore, his books and books written about him will be kept in libraries. Along with this, there has also been an attempt to make Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee forgotten,” he said.
The minister alleged that the previous government had operated with a “dictatorial mentality” and claimed that its own rules were being followed.
“There will be no unnecessary books written by Mamata Banerjee like ‘Epang-Opang-Jhpang’ in libraries. Books written by the former Chief Minister that do not help students gain knowledge will be removed. Libraries will be modernised,” Ghosh said.
He added that an e-library would also be established using digital technology to improve access to resources.
A few days earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Samik Bhattacharya alleged that distorted history was being taught through school textbooks, with India’s glorious past being ignored.
The BJP leader’s remarks came amid wider comments from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders about the need to address what they describe as distortions in the country’s historical narrative.
Several leaders have also highlighted themes such as nationalism, traditional Indian history, Vedic science, culture and the freedom struggle in their speeches.
In this context, the BJP believes that major changes are required in several areas, including West Bengal’s education policy, curriculum and the overall quality of the education system.
With IANS inputs