'Salami tactics of non-biological PM': Congress on 'Manusmriti' proposal in DU

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday attacked the Centre over a proposal to teach Manusmriti to Delhi University's LLB students, alleging that this is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "salami tactics" to bring fulfilment to the decades-long attempt by the RSS to "assault" the Constitution.

The Congress’s Scheduled Caste department also called for protests against the proposed move at the state and district levels.

The proposal to teach Manusmriti (Laws of Manu) to DU's LLB students is slated to be discussed in a meeting of its Academic Council on Friday.

Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary, in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh said this is "all part of the salami tactics of the non-biological PM to bring fulfilment to the decades-long attempt by the RSS to assault the Constitution and Dr. Ambedkar's legacy".

"In its issue dated November 30, 1949, the RSS mouthpiece Organiser had stated: 'The worst about the new Constitution of Bharat is that there is nothing Bharatiya about it. The drafters of the constitution have incorporated in it elements of British, American, Canadian, Swiss and sundry other Constitutions. But there is no trace of ancient Bharatiya constitutional laws, institutions, nomenclature and phraseology in it," Ramesh said in a post on X.

"...In our Constitution, there is no mention of the unique constitutional development in ancient Bharat. Manu's Laws were written long before Lycurgus of Sparta or Solon of Persia. To this day, his laws as enunciated in the Manusmriti, excite the admiration of the world and elicit spontaneous obedience and conformity. But to our constitutional pundits that means nothing," he quoted the Organiser as saying.

Congress SC department chairman Rajesh Lilothia wrote to chairpersons of the party's state SC departments and asked them to stage protests against the proposed move.

Calling it a “regressive step” of the Central University, he claimed that this was just the beginning of rolling out similar programmes in schools and other state universities in BJP-governed states.

“This action must be met with strong opposition in each state. Hence, I request you to organise protests at the state and district levels at University and College campuses in your respective states on July 12, 2024," Lilothia said in the letter.

The Faculty of Law has sought approval from the DU's highest decision-making body to revise the syllabus of its first and third-year students to teach them Manusmriti.

The changes in the syllabus of the jurisprudence paper pertain to semesters one and six of LLB.

According to the revisions, two readings on Manusmriti -- Manusmriti with the Manubhasya of Medhatithi by G N Jha and Commentary of Manu Smriti - Smritichandrika by T Kristnasawmi Iyer -- are proposed to be introduced for the students.

The decision to suggest the revisions was unanimously approved in a June 24 meeting of the faculty's Course Committee headed by its dean Anju Vali Tikoo, according to the minutes of the meeting.

Objecting to the move, the Left-backed Social Democratic Teachers Front (SDTF) has written to DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh stating that the manuscript propagates a "regressive" outlook towards the rights of women and the marginalised communities and that it is against a "progressive education system".