Author: JS Rajput
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: November 15, 2006
Introduction: Leftists and assorted 'pinkos'
who criticised the NDA for rewriting history are silent when UPA does the
same to gain politically
The vindictive hype of 'detoxification', 'de-saffronisation'
and 'de-Talibanisation' of education seems over. Those who fought against
the removal of nine 'controversial, distorted and incorrect' passages from
history textbooks in 2001 are in the process of removing 75 passages. History
repeats itself. This unprecedented U-turn is not unexpected for those pronounced
'guilty' of 'communalising school education in India' like this writer.
Within 24 hours of the Haryana Chief Minister
calling on Minister for Human Resource Development, CB-SE issued an advisory
to all the affiliated schools not to use certain portions from the history
books concerning Jats. It was that simple. The Jats, predominantly from Haryana,
and also from Punjab and UP, had threatened to launch an agitation if biased,
incorrect, and derogatory portions in history textbooks concerning them were
not removed.
The Chief Minister saw the political import
of the issue and acted fast. The Union Ministry had no alternative but to
act. The CBSE Chairman, working under instructions, pontificated, "This
portion has been excluded from classroom teaching and no questions will be
set in any internal tests or board examination to evaluate students' understanding
of the content of the various portions in future."
The deleted portion reported in the media
reads: "After the death of Aurangzeb, they (the Jats) created disturbances
all around Delhi. Though originally a peasant uprising, the Jat revolt, led
by zamindars, soon became predatory. They plundered all and sundry... They
took active part in court intrigues at Delhi, often changing sides to suit
their own advantage."
The UPA Government had launched a vigorous
campaign against 'communalisation' and 'saffronisation' of education, consequent
to removal of nine passages in 2001. Interestingly, the first shot was fired
by Delhi Government, which removed a passage concerning Guru Tegh Bahadur.
NCERT followed suit. In 2004-05, old history books were reprinted hurriedly,
expunged passages duly protected, and distributed as 'reference books' to
all the CBSE schools.
This was an unprecedented act in the history
of school education in the name of 'secularism'. It was pointed out by NCERT
in the Delhi High Court on November 7, 2006, that out of 75 paragraphs pointed
out as objectionable and derogatory, 46 have already been removed, 21 shall
be removed in the next year and the remaining eight in the academic year 2007-08.
The much-hyped detoxification now stands mutilated.
None from the self-proclaimed number ones
in 'national print media' or 'the fastest and the best' in the electronic
media even cursorily recalled the removal of passages in 2001. CBSE could
have honestly informed the people why these were brought back in 2004 and
how these are being deleted again, as "passages in respect of which there
is some reservation and objection". If the deletions in 2001 were communal,
and bringing it back in 2004 was secular, then how does one describe the fresh
removal in 2006?
The double standards of Marxist-Stalinists
are well documented. They enjoy enormous clout in the present Government.
It is now clear that the Ministry was overwhelmed by the Leftist propaganda
in its initial days and said 'yes' to practically every item on their 'wish-list'.
Can any one forget that in July 2004 they successfully got a book on Vedanta
by Dr Karan Singh 'banned'? A book on Thirukkural, prepared for teachers,
met with the same fate. They had shouted themselves hoarse that removal of
paragraphs in 2001 was condemnable. Their quiet approval to the removal of
passages from the much-loved history books in 2006 confirms their hypocrisy.
Mainstream print and electronic media, which
brought out full-page supplements and conducted television debates on changes
in history books in 2000-02, today appear to have forgotten all about distortion
of history and the campaign launched against NCERT. The UPA's criticism of
the educational changes initiated under the NDA was for its political survival.
It reversed these in 2004. Today, UPA is doing what the NDA had done in 2000.
In politics, they say, there are no permanent friends or foes. UP local bodies
election results have sent signals to both UPA and NDA. Are new alignments
in offing.
