 "Why do Yogendra Yadav, Suhas Palshikar want NCERT to delete their names?")
Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar, pivotal figures in the development of NCERT’s political science textbooks for classes IX to XII, have issued an ultimatum to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). In a letter addressed to NCERT’s director DP Saklani, on Monday, the duo expressed their intention to pursue legal action if their names are not removed from the textbooks they accuse of undergoing “indiscriminate distortion”.
NCERT textbooks controversy
This latest development comes after Yadav and Palshikar had requested NCERT to drop their names as chief advisers from the textbooks in June last year. Despite their plea, NCERT had refused, citing its copyright ownership and emphasising the collective authorship of the textbooks.
In their latest letter to NCERT, Yadav and Palshikar expressed dismay over the continued association of their names with the revised editions of six textbooks. They alleged that not only were their names retained against their wishes but that the content underwent extensive alterations that deviated significantly from the original spirit.
Ethical and legal concerns raised against NCERT
Highlighting their ethical and legal concerns, Yadav and Palshikar reiterated their disapproval of what they described as “unethical, unacademic, and illegal” practices of mutilating textbooks.
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They further underscored the violation of their intellectual property rights and the detrimental impact on students’ right to quality education.
Specific changes in NCERT textbooks
Reports suggest that NCERT has revised sections within the Class XI political science textbook, including contentious changes related to vote bank politics in the chapter on secularism. These revisions, which now assert a viewpoint aligning political party interests with minority appeasement, mark a departure from previous academic sessions.
The Class XII political science textbook also underwent alterations, notably excluding references to the events preceding the Babri Masjid demolition and subsequent developments. The mosque is now referred to merely as a ‘three dome structure’ at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Yadav and Palshikar’s ultimatum to NCERT
Yadav and Palshikar’s communication to NCERT further said that while the council had the authority to withdraw and publish new textbooks, it lacked both moral and legal grounds to distort existing ones without their consent. They also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the revised editions bearing their names and warned of potential legal action should NCERT fail to rectify the situation promptly.
Yadav and Palshikar were associated with the previous revision of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF), which served as the foundation for the current series of textbooks. However, since 2014, these textbooks have undergone multiple revisions.