– Abdul Bari Masoud
Chennai/New Delhi: Prof. M.H. Jawahirullah, Tamil Nadu MLA and President of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), has strongly criticised NCERT for its newly revised Class VIII Social Science textbook. He called it a case of “communal distortion” of Indian history.
Jawahirullah alleged the Union government is twisting education to serve the RSS and BJP’s ideological goals. “History is the soul of a nation. Altering it distorts India’s core values,” he said.
Speaking to Radiance News, he warned that India’s pluralistic past is being deliberately distorted. He pointed to the new textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond, calling it “political propaganda” rather than an academic work.
He accused it of misrepresenting Muslim rulers, aiming to erase Islamic contributions to Indian history. “Muslim rulers are painted as unethical invaders. Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb are unfairly targeted. Serious history has been turned into communal tales,” he stated.
Defending Emperor Akbar, Jawahirullah noted his legacy of tolerance and interfaith dialogue. He also reminded that Aurangzeb supported Hindu temples, including Someshwar Mahadev (Arail), Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain), and Balaji (Chitrakoot). “Leaving out such facts is a poisonous act to communalise young minds,” he said.
He called this a threat to both academic honesty and India’s social fabric.
Jawahirullah also condemned the removal of anti-colonial leaders like Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. He called it an “unforgivable distortion” driven by political agendas.
He criticised NCERT for losing its academic credibility and becoming a “political tool of Hindutva forces.” Such moves, he warned, widen social rifts and damage India’s educational reputation.
“History should be objective and written by experts, not political agents,” he said. He described NCERT’s decisions as arrogant and lacking scholarly depth.
He also expressed concern over the silence of intellectuals and civil society. “This distortion is happening because citizens are quiet. People must overcome fear and speak out,” he urged.
He demanded that the new textbook be immediately withdrawn. “All Indians must defend education and protect communal harmony. We can’t let children be fed communal bias,” he said.
Jawahirullah called for cleansing state institutions of communal influence. “Silence normalises misuse of power. We must act now,” he concluded.
His remarks come amid rising national criticism of NCERT by historians, educators, and political leaders. Many accuse the council of removing key parts of India’s diverse and anti-colonial past through recent textbook changes.
