A recent political controversy has erupted in Rajasthan after College Schooling Minister Madan Dilawar introduced plans to take away two books from the Class 12 syllabus, accusing them of disproportionately glorifying Congress leaders — notably from the Gandhi-Nehru household — whereas ignoring different nationwide icons.
The books in query, Azadi Ke Baad Swarnim Bharat Elements 1 and a pair of, have been a part of the curriculum because the tenure of the earlier Congress authorities. In keeping with Dilawar, they painting Congress leaders in a constructive mild regardless of their function in imposing the Emergency, suspending the Structure, and undermining democracy.
“These books glorify these liable for the Emergency. They ignore the contributions of nice leaders like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Dr BR Ambedkar, and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who based the Bharatiya Jana Sangh,” Dilawar advised reporters. “Why are there no references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 11 years of management, or former chief ministers like Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Vasundhara Raje?”
Dilawar additional acknowledged that since these books don’t carry examination weightage, retaining them within the syllabus solely provides to the scholars’ burden. He justified the late-stage withdrawal by saying, “Simply because cash has been spent printing these books doesn’t imply we should always serve poison to our kids. We’re able to bear the loss to guard college students from misinformation.
”The Rajasthan State Textbook Board has already printed 4.90 lakh copies of the books for the 2025 educational session, with 80% reportedly distributed throughout 19,700 colleges. This late removing has sparked criticism over monetary wastage and curriculum instability.
Reacting sharply, Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra accused the BJP authorities of pushing a divisive ideological agenda. “That is an ideological assault and displays the narrow-mindedness of the RSS,” he mentioned. “These books had been authorised by the earlier BJP-led authorities, together with the training division. What modified now?”
Dotasra questioned the rationale behind the removing, calling it an try to erase the legacy of former Congress prime ministers. “Is the BJP making an attempt to erase the contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru, who laid the muse of contemporary establishments like IITs, IIMs, ISRO, and AIIMS? Are they ignoring Indira Gandhi’s management in the course of the Bangladesh Liberation Battle, the Pokhran nuclear check, and the nationalization of banks?”
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He additionally defended the legacies of Rajiv Gandhi—who launched computerisation and strengthened Panchayati Raj—and Manmohan Singh, credited with pioneering India’s financial liberalisation.
“By eradicating these references, is the BJP making an attempt to cover historical past from our college students? This isn’t only a change in curriculum—it’s an try to regulate the course of younger minds,” Dotasra added.
As the controversy intensifies, the controversy highlights the continuing tug-of-war between instructional content material and political ideology in shaping India’s historic narrative.
–With PTI Inputs