THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has come out in support of the controversial Kannur University syllabus that includes chapters on RSS ideologues V D Savarkar and M S Golwalkar. “What is the point of going to universities if you want to read only what you like?” Tharoor asked. The reaction from the flamboyant Thiruvananthapuram MP, considered the intellectual face of the Congress, comes at a time when the party’s leaders in the state have taken up cudgels against the Sangh Parivar for the inclusion of RSS ideologues in the syllabus for the post-graduate students of Kannur University.
Tharoor, a celebrated author and orator, recalled that he had quoted at length on Savarkar and Golwalkar in his books and then refuted them. Tharoor tweeted that it is foolish to believe that ignorance of someone’s ideas will help one defeat them.
“Some friends disapprove of my stand that academic freedom requires us to read, understand & debate every point of view, including those we disagree with. If we don’t read Savarkar & Golwalkar, on what basis will we oppose their ideas? #KannurUniversity also teaches Gandhi & Tagore. Intellectual freedom is far too important a value in our society to be sacrificed at the altar of party politics,” he tweeted. It should be recalled that Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had also supported the Kannur University on Saturday, with the move drawing flak from senior Congress leader V M Sudheeran.