New Delhi: The meeting of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), being held after a gap of 10 years, got off on a stormy note in New Delhi today (Aug 10, 2004) with the Education Ministers of BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-ruled States staging a walk out protesting against, what they described as an attempt by the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government to get their "seal of approval" on its Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

As soon as the meeting began and HRD (Human Resources Development) Minister Arjun Singh was about to make the opening remarks, Rajasthan Education Minister Ghanshyam Tiwari stood up and demanded that the references to the CMP and communalisation be removed from the copy of his speech circulated among the participants.

Demanding that education be the agenda of the meeting, Tiwari said, "we are not here to give our seal of approval to the CMP."

With these remarks, Tiwari walked out of the meeting followed by Anadi Ben Patel of Gujarat, Ajay Chandrakar of Chhattisgarh, P N Singh of Jharkhand and Alka Jain of Madhya Pradesh.