Kerala Student Union members stage protest alleging saffronisation of NCERT textbooks

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], April 18 : Members of the Congress-affiliated student orgsation, Kerala Student Union (KSU), protested against the central government in front of the Accountant General's office here on Monday alleging saffronisation of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks. As the protesters tried to break the barricades, the police used water cannon to disperse them.

Political controversies erupted after NCERT omitted certain portions from its syllabus. NCERT said commissions were part of a 'rationalisation' process, but not buying this argument many opposition party leaders said that it was part of the RSS agenda to "communalise India's history by distorting it".

Commenting on the controversy, Kerala education minister V Sivankutty on April 9 demanded that the NCERT board should be reconstituted with representatives from all states. He alleged that NCERT'S decision is on behalf of RSS.

"The decision to exclude certain key portions from NCERT textbook can't be the decision of NCERT alone, it can only be seen as the decision of BJP govt. They have the same ideologies as RSS and BJP government is implementing the visions of RSS. The NCERT should be reconstituted with representatives from all states," V Sivankutty alleged.

He also alleged that the central government pursued a vested political interest rather than an academic interest. He further said that Kerala will not use NCERT textbooks of 11th and 12th standards. "we will not use NCERT textbooks in 11th and 12th standards. The central government is giving importance to vested interest rather than academic interests".

The critics of the decision mainly focused on the ommissions related to Mughal history from the NCERT syllabus.