Patna, (Bihar Times): The chapter of Hindi book of Class-VIII (Bihar Board), which carries references of former chief ministers Lalu Yadav, Karpoori Thakur and Bhola Paswan Shashtri will be dropped from the book from the next academic session starting next April. In this place the students would be taught a chapter on the famous social reformer from Maharashtra, Jyotiba Phule.

The dropped chapter, Mitti Ke Gaurav, was written by a Bihar government official, Harivansh Narayan, who a year back even alleged that he was being harassed.

Justifying the removal of the chapter the human resources development minister, Brishen Patel, said that in his opinion living personality should not figure in any text-book taught to the school children. Interestingly the chapter was introduced in course in 1994, when both the present chief minister, Nitish Kumar, and Brishen Patel, were with Lalu Yadav.

The RJD MLC and noted Hindi writer, Ram Bachan Rai, who edited the book, told newsmen that there is reference not only of Lalu Yadav, but of Karpoori Thakur and Bhola Paswan Shashtri as all of them have risen from lowest strata of the society. He said that he would not have minded had a chapter on Nitish Kumar been included as he also come from the backward section of the society.

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