• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Thu, 26 Oct 2023 06:16 PM (IST)
  • Source:ANI

Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty has warned that any attempt by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to implement the proposal it has received to replace "India" with "Bharat" in textbooks will face heavy opposition from the state government. He further said that several earlier attempts by the NCERT to implement changes in its school curriculum were countered by the CPI(M)-led Kerala government with the help of additional textbooks.

"Kerala rejects the recommendations given by the NCERT committee for social sciences...Citizens have the right to use India or Bharat as mentioned in the Constitution," Sivankutty stated. He added, "Kerala also rejects the move to twist historical facts. Earlier when NCERT removed certain portions Kerala had included them in the syllabus as additional textbooks."

ALSO READ: 'Hamas Shooting At People': IDF Shares Audio Clip Of Conversation Between Israeli Officer, Gaza Resident

"If NCERT intends to teach children through textbooks things that are unconstitutional, unscientific and distorting the real history, then Kerala will defend itself by having debates academically," the minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. "We will convene the State Curriculum Committee and discuss in detail the work of preparing the 44 textbooks currently used in the state keeping academic interest in mind," he further stated. 

On Wednesday, the head of the NCERT panel that recommended the change said, "Bharat is an age-old name. The use of the name Bharat finds its mention in ancient texts such as Vishnu Purana, which is 7,000 years old."

ALSO READ: Jammu And Kashmir: Five Terrorists Killed In Kupwara As Security Forces Foil Major Infiltration Bid

"The term India started being used commonly only after the establishment of the East India Company and the battle of Plassey in 1757. Therefore, the committee unanimously recommended that the name Bharat should be used in textbooks for students across classes," added Issac, a history teacher at CMS College in Kottayam who has close ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

 

(With inputs from ANI)