New Delhi: The Congress has hit out against the BJP after the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) introduced a section on Emergency in the Class IX social science textbook.
The new section, titled ‘Challenges to democratic practices in India’, deals with the state of Emergency which was imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on June 5, 1975, and continued till 1977.
The Emergency section was released on Thursday, and notes that democratic institutions “came under severe strain, and citizens’ freedom was restricted” during the Emergency. The period saw “vulnerabilities and the resilience” of India’s democratic institutions, the textbook notes.
The 220-page textbook titled ‘Understanding Society: India and Beyond Part 1’ will replace older separate geography, political science, history and economics textbooks.
There are two chapters for all four subjects. In the chapters of political science, the NCERT textbook discusses the evolution of the idea of democracy, its different forms, essential features, and the election processes.
The section on Emergency is featured in th
e chapter on democracy. “One of the major challenges to democracy in India was recorded when an Emergency was imposed in 1975-77,” the book says.
Congress leader Sachin Pilot wondered why the BJP presents history in their own way.
“I have seen that whenever there is a BJP government, whether in a state or at the Centre, the first thing they do is try to present books, history, and literature in their own way. That may be the goal of the BJP government, but I believe we have to look ahead,” said Pilot, adding that democracy in the country currently faces an unprecedented challenge in the history of independent India
Jaivardhan Singh, another Congress leader, accused the BJP of indulging in politics even in education. “BJP is doing politics even in children’s textbooks, with a very narrow mindset. Congress has ruled for several decades, but it has never done politics with the future of children,” Singh said.
The Congress was view was echoed by Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT), who defended Indira Gandhi, saying she did not break any political party or abolish the Constitution.
”The Emergency is not just a subject for study, but it is also provided for in the Constitution. The Constitution gives the prime minister the right to impose an Emergency if anarchy spreads in the country. This does not mean that you should not respect the Constitution,” said Raut.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla countered the narrative by accusing Congress and its ecosystem of being trapped in an Emergency mindset. “They claim to protect the Constitution but are its biggest destroyers.”
The Narendra Modi-helmed Central government announced two years ago that ‘Samvidhan Hatya Divas (Constitution Murder Day)’ will be observed every year on June 25.