BJP welcomes NCERT textbook revisions on Mughal era depictions, Congress urges caution

New Delhi, July 16 The BJP on Wednesday welcomed the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Class 8 history book revision as a step toward historical clarity, while Congress has cautioned against altering content based on political motives.

NCERT has introduced revisions to its Class 8 Social Science textbook - emphasising "religious intolerance" and "brutality" during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods - political reactions are sharply divided.

Speaking to IANS, BJP leader Praveen Khandelwal said, "We all know how the Mughal kings kept the country enslaved and the kinds of torture they inflicted. These dark truths of the Mughal era have been hidden for too long. The next generation deserves to know the reality, which is why I welcome these changes in the NCERT syllabus."

Fellow BJP leader Arvind Sharma said, "Any change to an NCERT book goes through a committee review, and only after the report is submitted is anything added or removed."

However, Congress leader Tanuj Punia took a different view.

"When it comes to education, it’s not good to simply remove or add content. Facts should be presented thoroughly and objectively so that children can understand and form their own judgments," he told IANS.

Meanwhile, the updated textbook aims to offer a more direct and unfiltered view of significant historical events. Among the changes, Babur is described as a “ruthless conqueror” responsible for mass killings, while Akbar’s rule is depicted as a “combination of brutality and tolerance.”

The chapter also highlights Aurangzeb’s destruction of temples and gurdwaras.

To address concerns about contemporary implications, NCERT has included a disclaimer under a section titled “Note on Some Darker Periods in History,” stating that “no one should be held accountable today for the events of the past.”

Part 1 of the newly updated Class 8 textbook, "Exploring Society: India and Beyond," is now in use for the current academic session. This marks the first time students are introduced to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods in Class 8, topics that were previously part of the Class 7 curriculum.

--IANS

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