General Education Minister V. Sivankutty wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan demanding their intervention to withdraw the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)-appointed sociology committee ‘s proposal to replace ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in social science textbooks.
Expressing deep concern regarding the recent recommendation, he wrote that such a change is unnecessary and could lead to confusion among students and citizens.
“Our country’s identity is a unique amalgamation of history, culture, and diversity with the name India being a pivotal part of that identity. The term Bharat peacefully coexists alongside India within our national identity. The Indian Constitution itself recognises this duality, referring to our nation as both India and Bharat in Article 1. This dual nomenclature reflects our nation’s ability to respect and celebrate its historical roots while embracing modernity,” he wrote in the letter.
Mr. Sivankutty further noted that for generations, students have learned about the rich tapestry of our history and heritage using the name India. Changing this now could lead to confusion and disrupt the continuity of education.
Furthermore, it is essential to highlight that the NCERT has had a history of taking positions that align with certain ideologies which has raised concerns about potential distortion of history and bias in education. It is imperative that such recommendations are scrutinised thoroughly to ensure that they do not serve any particular political or ideological agenda, he wrote.
