Sharad Pawar's name dropped from Class 10 text books

The Nationalist Students Congress (NSC) has taken umbrage at the omission of Sharad Pawar's name as the founder of NCP from a Class 10 textbook issued by the Maharashtra education board for the next academic year.

In a memorandum Wednesday to the Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, the NSC, which is the student wing of the Nationalist Congress Party, said the gaffe appears in the social studies textbook of Class 10 for the academic session June 2013-May 2014.

"The textbook has a chapter in which short descriptions of various major political parties are given. The NCP's details are mentioned in a brief paragraph. But Sharad Pawar's name as the party's founder (in 1999) has been omitted," said NSC Pune president Rakesh Kamthe.

Kamthe pointed out that the name of Kanshi Ram as the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party figures in the textbook although that party hardly has a support base in Maharashtra.

Besides, the name of Raj Thackeray as the founder of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (in 2006) is given prominently, though it is a much younger party compared to the NCP, he added.

Following the memorandum, a board official Wednesday issued written instructions to the departments concerned, directing them to correct the error within a month in all the textbooks.

Kamthe warned that if the authorities failed act in the matter, the NSC would launch an agitation over the issue.