Amid the raging controversy over the alleged removal of the chapter on Mughals from history textbooks, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has claimed that it has not been 'dropped'.
NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani claimed a rationalisation process was carried out last year due to the pressures posed by the COVID-19 pandemic on students.
"Chapters on Mughals have not been dropped. There was a rationalisation process last year because due to COVID, there was pressure on students everywhere," the NCERT director told ANI.
According to him, an expert committee examined the books from standards 6-12 and was of the opinion that it won't affect the knowledge of the students.?
The "Themes of Indian History-Part II" textbook's chapters on the Mughal Court, monarchs, and their history have been eliminated from the updated curriculum.
"They recommended that if this chapter is dropped, it won't affect the knowledge of the children and an unnecessary burden can be removed," he said.
He further said that even today, students are studying the history of the Mughals in NCERT's class 7th book.
"Along with this, the history of Mughals is being taught in Empires in section-2 of the 11th class book. And in the class 12th book, there were 2 chapters on the history of the Mughals, out of which theme nine was removed last year, while theme eight is still being taught to the students. This year no chapter has been removed from any book," Saklani said.
Following reports that the chapter on Mughals has been removed from history textbooks, many had accused the NCERT and the Union Government of 'rewriting Indian history'.
Former Congress leader and Independent MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday said that modern Indian history should begin from 2014.
"NCERT textbooks: Effaced: 1) Gandhi's pursuit of Hindu Muslim unity 2) Banning of RSS 3) All references to Gujarat riots 4) Protests that turned into social movements in contemporary India
"Consistent with Modiji's Bharat modern Indian history should start from 2014..." he said in a tweet.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the Centre is erasing the past by removing Mughal history from the NCERT syllabus while China is erasing our present. He was referring to China renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh.
"On one side, the Modi government is erasing the Mughals from NCERT syllabus, while on the other side, China, with whom PM Modi was shaking hands at the G20 Indonesia meeting, is erasing our present," Owaisi said.
For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit?Indiatimes News.