"Improper, Uncalled For": Furious Nitish Kumar On University Syllabus Changes

Both Nitish Kumar and RJD veteran Lalu Prasad Yadav (the former Chief Minister set up the university) hold the teachings of JP Narayan close to their hearts

Changes to the MA Political Science syllabus at Bihar's Jai Prakash University - the Chancellor of which is former BJP MLA and current Governor Phagu Chauhan - today triggered a furious response from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Among the changes for the new academic year are the scrapping of chapters on prominent social and political activists 'Lok Nayak' Jai Prakash Narayan (after whom the university is named) and Ram Manohar Lohia, while those on Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay and others has been included. A strongly worded statement from the Education Department quoted Mr Kumar as expressing his annoyance over the "improper" and "uncalled for" changes and asking for immediate corrective steps. He was also quoted as warning other universities in the state to consult education officials before making syllabus changes, and said that in public interest no such steps would be allowed in the future.