NCERT Textbook Revision Sparks Political Row; Sachin Sawant Accuses BJP of Pushing Communal Narrative Through History Lessons

Mumbai: Congress leader Sachin Sawant has launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of manipulating school textbooks to promote a communal and politically motivated narrative. Referring specifically to recent changes in the NCERT’s Class 8 history textbook, Sawant alleged that the Mughal rulers are being portrayed in a deliberately one-sided, negative manner to align with the ideological agenda of the BJP and its parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“The government does not want students to study history with a balanced perspective. Instead, it wants them to view rulers through a religious lens—Hindu kings as virtuous and Muslim rulers as cruel,” Sawant said in a strongly worded statement. “This is not about academic growth or fostering independent thinking. It’s about preparing the next generation of BJP voters, not informed citizens who believe in the Constitution.”

Sawant warned that this approach will sow seeds of communal hatred in society. “The BJP thrives only in an atmosphere of hate, anger, and polarisation. That’s why it is working to create a divisive, intolerant future rather than nurturing rational and constitutional-minded citizens,” he alleged.

While acknowledging that presenting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as an exemplary ruler is appropriate and commendable, Sawant questioned the selective portrayal of history. “Why does the textbook not mention the casteism, oppression, exploitation, and immorality that intensified during the Peshwa regime? Why does it omit the fact that Savarkar himself described the virtues of Shivaji Maharaj as ‘virtue perversion’ (सद्गुण विकृती)?”

Sawant further asked why, despite invoking Shivaji Maharaj’s ideals for years, the BJP has failed to govern on those principles. “Why did the BJP government not run the state for 11 years based on Shivaji Maharaj’s progressive vision? Why has it instead adopted the RSS’s politics of hate?”

According to Sawant, the real intention behind these textbook revisions is to institutionalise communal prejudice among young minds. “This is not just about history; it’s about shaping a bigoted, intolerant society that will serve BJP’s electoral interests in the long run,” he said.

The controversy has reignited the debate over ideological interference in academic content and the role of education in nation-building versus political conditioning.