Chapter on Lalu deleted from Bihar textbooks

Although the Nitish Kumar Government had decided to delete the chapter on Lalu soon after coming to power, it took them over two years to implement it. Human Resource Development Minister Brishen Patel told The Indian Express on Tuesday that all formalities have been completed and Lalu’s chapter has been deleted from all new Hindi textbooks. “Lalu will be replaced by famous Dalit activist Jyotiba Phule,” Patel declared.

Justifying the move, Patel said that the man who had destroyed the state could not be a role model for students. “Moreover, a man’s contribution to society is assessed after the completion of his career. But Lalu figured in textbooks only a couple of years after he became the CM,” Patel said. Interestingly, Patel in 1993 was not only a Lalu protégé but also a minister in his Cabinet.

The RJD, meanwhile, has charged the state Government with yet another act of “political vendetta”. Party leader Rambachan Rai, who had edited the book and was subsequently rewarded with a berth in the state’s Upper House, justified the chapter by saying that Lalu continues to be an inspirational figure for children from the deprived section who are scared of dreaming big.