NEW DELHI: Changes made by the education ministry body NCERT in the Class 12 political science book have triggered a massive political firestorm, with the opposition parties putting NCERT in the dock and accusing it of pushing the “RSS agenda”.
The NCERT’s decision has garnered statements from the broad political spectrum as changes include the omission of controversial topics like the 2002 Gujarat riots and the Babri mosque demolition.
Defending the changes, NCERT’s director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said that including discussions of riots in school textbooks could potentially have a negative effect, leading to the creation of individuals who are “violent and depressed”.
He also claimed that changes in textbooks were an “updation” exercise and “not syllabus revision”.
Changes made in the NCERT book - The chapter on Recent Developments in Indian Politics originally examined both the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and the Ayodhya mosque demolition, along with their effects on political mobilization. In its revised version, the text now concentrates exclusively on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement’s legacy.The original text delved into the Babri Masjid demolition’s ramifications on Indian politics. The revised text underscores the impact of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple dispute, which led to the Supreme Court’s decision in 2019, paving the way for the construction of the Ram Temple.
- In the same chapter, initially the options listed were the Mandal recommendations, anti-reservation stir, and the demolition of Babri Masjid. Now, the revised options include the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendations and the Supreme Court judgment on the Ram Janmabhoomi.
- In the challenges of Nation Building capter, the original text mentioned that thousands of women were abducted on both sides of the border before being forcibly converted and married, and sometimes killed by their families to preserve ‘family honour.’ In the updated version, the text omits the phrase “on both sides of the border” for a more generalised statement.
- The definition of “Left” originally referred to those in favour of the poor and government policies has been redefined as those favouring state control of the economy over free competition.
- In the chapter, Regional Aspiration: The original text stated that Pakistan describes the Pak Occupied Kashmir (POK) as “Azad Pakistan”, while India claims it as under illegal occupation. The revised version states that the area is called Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).
- The earlier text in the book noted that since the 1989 election, the votes and seats won by Congress and the BJP did not add up to more than fifty per cent. The revised text states that the votes of Congress and BJP often add up to more than fifty per cent — except in 1996, 2004, and 2009.
Politics over changes
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the NCERT of furthering the agenda of RSS — which is seen as BJP’s ideological ally.
He said: “NCERT is no longer a professional institution. It has been functioning as an RSS affiliate since 2014”.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who is BJP’s staunch political rival, strongly criticised the recent revisions made by NCERT in their textbooks regarding the terms “Ayodhya” and “Babri Masjid”.
Owaisi said that children “should not grow up glorifying criminal acts”.
In a post on X, Owaisi expressed his disapproval, stating, “The NCERT has decided to replace Babri Masjid with the words ‘three domed structure’. It has also decided to call the Ayodhya judgement an example of ‘consensus’. India’s children should know that the Supreme Court called the demolition of Babri Masjid an ‘egregious criminal act'”.
Rajya Sabha MP and RJD leader Manoj Jha said students should “know everything that despite hatred, hate and violence India evolved”.
“The education policy should be guided by the Constitution…The Preamble of the Constitution is being violated…Shouldn’t the holocaust, partition and war be taught to the students?… What kind of people are taking decisions ?… The students should know everything that despite hatred, hate and violence India evolved…Why are the alliance partners silent ?… This is an issue related to the future of students…,” Manoj Jha said.