Vaiko, a prominent political leader, has strongly condemned recent alterations made to NCERT textbooks, asserting that these changes are designed to disrupt religious harmony within the country. His criticism specifically targets the new 8th-grade social studies textbook, “Exploring Society, India and Beyond,” which covers historical periods including the Delhi Sultans, Mughals, Marathas, and the colonial era.Vaiko’s concern centers on a section at the beginning of the book titled “A Note on Some Dark Periods in History.” He states that this section presents historical events primarily through a lens of war, bloodshed, and violence.
The article highlights particular descriptions within the textbook that Vaiko finds problematic: Babur is depicted as brutal and merciless, Aurangzeb as a military ruler who demolished temples and gurudwaras, and Akbar’s reign is characterized as cruel.
Vaiko vehemently claims that these revisions are part of a deliberate agenda by “Hindutva Sanatana forces” aimed at undermining India’s rich diversity and long-standing religious harmony.
He has called for the immediate removal of such content from the textbooks.
Critics like Vaiko argue that such selective and negatively framed historical narratives risk fostering a divisive understanding of India’s past among young students. They contend that focusing solely on conflict and perceived acts of destruction, rather than a more nuanced and holistic view of historical figures and eras, could inadvertently create communal discord and undermine the spirit of national unity and inclusivity that India’s education system should uphold.