Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan opposes NCERT committee's proposal to replace 'India' with 'Bharat'
Oct 26, 2023
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], October 26 : Kerala Cheif Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the recent proposal by a high-level committee set up by the National Council of Educational Research and Training to replace 'India' with 'Bharat' in textbooks is unacceptable.
"As per the decision of NCERT's Committee on Social Science, the word 'India' should be changed to 'Bharat' in the textbooks of the academic branch. The Constitution refers to our nation as both India and Bharat. The politics behind avoiding India in it is as clear as daylight," Pinarayi Vijayan said in a statement.
"This change appears to be another step in the Sangh Parivar's ongoing effort to impose their divisive communalism in our educational institutions and curriculum. I urge all citizens to unite and safeguard the essence of 'India', a nation founded on the principles of unity in diversity. Let's celebrate our diverse heritage and embrace our pluralistic identity with pride," he added.
An NCERT panel, headed by historian CI Issac, recommended replacing 'India with Bharat' in school textbooks.
The recommendations were made by a seven-member Committee for Social Sciences, which is among the committees constituted by the NCERT to prepare position papers on various subjects.
CM Vijayan alleged that the Sangh Parivar feared the inclusive politics represented by the phenomenon called India. The hatred against the word India is part of this, he said.
"The latest directives should be perceived as an extension of the previous instances of bigoted omissions from educational materials, which encompass the chapters concerning Mughal history and the ban on RSS in the aftermath of Gandhi's assassination," he said.
The Chief Minister also alleged that the NCERT is continually supporting efforts by the Sangh Parivar to distort history. The Textbook Committee has been eager to promote the fake narratives of history that the Parivar has been peddling, he said.
"The Sangh Parivar has always been opposed to the idea of an 'India' based on pluralism and coexistence. The NCERT's new proposal is the latest example. The Chief Minister urged democratic forces in the country to oppose the unconstitutional proposals in the NCERT committee's position paper," Vijayan said.
