Maharashtra assures Arunachal team speedy action, withdraws wrong book

Arunachal Pradesh was absent in Maharashtra Class X geography book

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has assured a high-level delegation from Arunachal Pradesh that his government will take action through the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) against all those responsible for printing a wrong India map in a class X geography and economics textbook that shows a substantial part, including Tawang, of Arunachal Pradesh, in China.

The MSBSHSE has promised to rectify the mistake in the chapter 'India and its neighboring countries' before the start of the new academic year.

The Arunachal team led by Member of Parliament Takam Sanjoy met Chavan at his Delhi residence and submitted a protest letter to him, demanding a thorough investigation to find out the truth behind the 'Missing Map' of Arunachal Pradesh from the textbook.

The team also demanded that all books circulated throughout Maharashtra numbering 70 lakhs should be withheld till investigation to unearth the truth is completed.

Sanjoy alleged sabotage of such publication by anti-national elements who are inimical to the nation's democratic set up.

He said that such publications demean the national security of the country, where Arunachal Pradesh people stood time tested and sacrificed to be the first class citizen of the Indian nation.

Earlier, Sanjoy had written a letter to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh for immediate institution of enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

A delegation headed by Sanjoy, included AAPSU President, Kamta Lapung, Prof. Tana Showren of Rajiv Gandhi University and Joint Secretary Delhi AAPSU, J.T.Tagam.

Till date, 1.17 lakh textbooks in English and 4.71 lakh in Marathi containing the map have been sold. The board could swap the books for ones with a corrected map or may instruct schools to tell students to correct the mistake.