CHENNAI: After a lesson about the Varna system in the CBSE Class 6 history textbook was circulated widely on Twitter, the MNM and VCK have condemned it. While VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan said Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are not part of society as per the book, MNM said it was an attempt to poison the minds of children. The lesson talks about the division of people during the Vedic period and shows Shudras clad in just loincloths, and says they served the other Varnas.
The lesson says Brahmins were priests and teachers, Kshatriyas were warriors, Vaishyas were traders, craftspeople and landowners, and Shudras served the other three varnas. The lesson was shared widely on social media after BJP leaders claimed Hinduism preaches equality in response to DMK leader A Raja’s comments on the caste system.
“The fascist BJP government is teaching school kids about divisions in society based on the Varna system. This is for the attention of people who question where is manu dharma in practice now. There are only four divisions in the Hindu society. SCs and STs are not part of it,” said Thirumavalavan.
“The Varnasrama reference in Class 6 CBSE curriculum just goes to show how the Centre is sowing the seeds of caste discrimination in young minds... Makkal Needhi Maiam strongly condemns this,” said the party on Twitter. In Coimbatore, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam protested against the content of the textbook.