The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbookscontinue to be contentious. Just a couple of days back, there was a furore whenit was announced that several communally sensitive issues like Ayodhya, 1984Sikh carnage and Gujarat violence of 2002 would be included in the text booksfor Political Science in Class XII. Solemn assurances were given that thesecontentious issues would be presented with objectivity.
Barely had the issue even been discussed by informed scholars that yetanother controversy rocked the Rajya Sabha today.when the BJP-led Opposition strongly protested against alleged distortions and objectionable language in the NCERT school textbooks.
Ravi Shankar Prasad of BJP objected that in the book Modern India History byBipin Chandra, reintroduced by the NCERT, revised in 2005, the Jats have beencalled 'luteraa' or looters, Guru Gobind Singh took 'mastab' from Bahadur ShahZafar and that above all, 'Lokmanya Tilak, Aurobindo Ghosh and Bipin Chandra Palhave been called terrorists - that they created terror'.
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Addressing the Vice Chairman, he said that unparliamentary language is notallowed in the house, but should the children from classes II to V be taughtsuch language? He referred to a book in Hindi called Antara, published in May2006, and quoted a poem called 'Mochi Ram' from it: '...to ramnaami bechkar yaaranDiyoN kii dalaalii karke rozii kamaane meiN koi fark nahii hai ... [...Sothere is no difference between selling in the name of Ram or earning a living byacting as a pimp]'. 'Why are we teaching this?' he asked.
He also quoted from recently published books by NCERT which use words such as'bhangi' and 'chamaar' At this point, Shri Murli Manohar Joshi also chimed in tosay that minds of the young were being corrupted and filled with hatred, while Ravi Shankar Prasad went on to read morepassages from profiles of 'Naxalites' such as Avtar Singh Sandhu and bemoaned thatinstead of teaching youngsters about personages such as Nand Lal Bose or AmritaSher Gill, when it came to artists, the NCERT books were glorifying the lives ofpainter M.F. Hussain who specialises in 'insulting Hindu gods and goddesses andpaints them in the nude'.
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Prasad said the books also contained derogatory references to variouscommunities and castes and obscene language besides suggestions to girl studentsto use cosmetics and that education and merit alone did not ensure progress inlife. He quoted from books and passages published during 2005 and 2006that claimed that by using 'powder and cream', girls would look more beautiful.
In the middle of interruptions from opposition members demanding a responsefrom the PM, Sitaram Yehcury suggested that the Vice Chairman should get thebooks examined and seek a reply from the government.
The discussion, predictably assumed political overtones as, amidstinterruptions, Shri V. Narayanasamy charged, "What about the books published during theNDA regime? Now, you are talking about the present books...When they were in power, they communalisedeverything ... All the textbooks were communalised by them...".
But thankfully, sanity prevailed and members realised that the situationdemanded rising above pointing fingers at each others. Shri Satyavrata Chaturvedi of the Congress party also agreed that no member,regardless of the party affiliation would wish such things to be taught toschool-kids and said that if these books are indeed prescribed and published bythe NCERT then it is a very objectionable and serious matter.
Various members from across the parties condemned the quoted passages andasked for rectification, whereas the Congress members insisted that not only thebooks quoted, but all school-books, specially school books from Gujarat andRajasthan should also be examined and scrutinised.
