DMK demands exclusion of Bhagavad Gita from syllabus

The student's wing of DMK protested against the decision of Anna University to include philosophy and Bhagavad Gita in its syllabus in Chennai. Defending the decision, vice-chancellor MK Surappa said that the students are free to choose from any of the 12 courses offered as part of efforts to make them "well-rounded."

Chennai:The decision of Anna University to include philosophy and Bhagavad Gita in its syllabus for the engineering students was resisted by the student's wing of DMK on Tuesday near Saidapet Court Complex, Chennai.

Students wearing black attire in mark of protest shouted anti-university slogans and demanded the removal of the "imposition".

EVMP Ezhilarasan, MLA and state secretary of the wing took part in the demonstration said that the DMK students involved in the protests were arrested by the police.

Speaking to media on the issue, DMK state student secretary Yilarasanan said, "Anna University should remove Bhagavad Gita from the curriculum. The central government is indirectly trying to impose Sanskrit."

On the other hand, vice-chancellor MK Surappa said that the students are free to choose from any of the 12 courses offered as part of efforts to make them to what he termed "well-rounded."

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had recommended over 20 courses including Sanskrit but the varsity had chosen only 12, and had not even opted for the language, he said.

"If some student doesn't like this course, he always has an option to choose any other course... so no course is compulsory, nobody is controlling anyone here," he said.

"We are not imposing anything, in fact, we are not teaching Sanskrit at all," he added.