Chennai, 18 July (H.S.): C. Mutharasan, the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), has strongly condemned the inclusion of what he termed communal poison in the Class 8 Social Science textbook under the Central syllabus, demanding its immediate withdrawal. He stated that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has presented historical events, particularly those from the reigns of Mughal emperors Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb, in a manner that reflects Hindutva ideology and incites religious prejudice.

Mutharasan believes that such content instills hatred in the minds of schoolchildren and promotes a majoritarian narrative, which he considers a distortion of history tailored to suit contemporary political agendas. He further noted that this ideological shift in curriculum follows the appointment of individuals aligned with right-wing ideologies to key academic bodies.

The CPI leader also drew parallels to colonial history, asserting that the British and East India Company's rule involved systematic plunder, a fact he says is well-documented. He stressed that India's post-Independence federal and secular framework was established through collective struggles against such domination, and therefore, the curriculum should uphold values of peace, social harmony, and decentralization. Mutharasan concluded by urging the Union Ministry of Education to immediately withdraw the revised textbook content and uphold the secular and democratic foundations of the nation's education system.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary