'Hindutva agenda...' CPI-M slams NCERT for 'India' to 'Bharat' change in textbooks

The content of the school textbooks is being revised by the NCERT to align with the 2020 National Education Policy (NEP). The suggestion of the NCERT panel was made amid much conjecture over whether or not the nation will be called "Bharat." Kerala CPI(M) general secretary M V Govindan has responded to the decision of the NCERT.

Thiruvananthapuram: Communist Party of India (Marxist) M V Govindan has come forward against the recommendation to replace India with Bharat in the CBSE NCERT textbooks. He said that the name India cannot be changed just by the order of an RSS worker. Govindan said, "India's name cannot be replaced just by an order of an RSS worker. This is actually Savarkar's stand. There is also a notion to make Puranas as RSS-produced Puranas and convert to Hinduism and communalism."

He said that the development came after the Opposition named the alliance as I.N.D.I.A. 

"The central government is changing the scientific and historical facts. Mahatma Gandhi's assassination has been changed to suicide. These are all ways to lead the country to the Hindutva agenda. The decision was taken to name the country constitutionally including Dr B R Ambedkar. When the Supreme Court sought its opinion on changing the name, the center replied that the name will not be changed," he added.

The members of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) panel have unanimously agreed to print the next batch of books with the name "Bharat" rather than "India."

The suggestion of the NCERT panel was made in the midst of much conjecture over whether or not the nation will be called "Bharat." The controversy started earlier this year when President Droupadi Murmu's G20 dinner invitations were delivered by the Centre using the title "President of Bharat" rather than "President of India," sparking a political controversy.

Article 1 (1) of the Constitution defines the name of our country as "India, that is Bharat shall be a Union of States".

According to CI Issac, one of the panel members, the new NCERT books will have the name change. The proposal was put forth some months ago and has now been accepted, Issac said. The committee has further recommended introducing ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history’ in the textbooks.