KERALA VOTE PROTEST

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28980, 22 August 1959, Page 13

KERALA VOTE PROTEST

Communist M.P.’s

Walk Out

NEW DELHI, August 20. Communist members of the Indian Lower House walked out today when the House overwhelmingly backed the Central Government’s decision to dismiss the Communist Government of Kerala State.

The Communists left in a bodyin protest against what they described as a “disgraceful attitude” by the Central Government. They were joined by one independent. The House approved by 270 votes to 38 the President’s proclamation dismissing the Kerala administration, and taking over the State’s administration. The former Government of Kerala was today cleared by an investigating committee of any concerted attempt to write school textbooks with the object of indoctrinating pupils with Communist ideas. The committee said there were certain lessons and passages in social studies textbooks which “may tend to create in pupils impressions favourable to Communist ideas,” but no attempt at indoctrination had been made. The committee said that in an otherwise “adequate” treatment of India, one social studies book had failed to mention Gandhi and another had given a detailed description of progress in China but only very sketchy details of progress in India.