In a significant and controversial move, the Rajasthan Education Department, under the directive of Education Minister Madan Dilawar, has officially decided to remove two supplementary textbooks—‘Azadi ke Baad ka Swarnim Bharat’ Part-1 and Part-2—from the school curriculum across the state.
The minister defended this action by stating that the books “carry no academic weight” and primarily glorify the Nehru-Gandhi family, offering no benefit to students in terms of examination marks.
#CurriculumChange #RajasthanEducation
Minister Dilawar explained that these books, introduced during the tenure of the previous Congress-led state government, were non-evaluative in nature and, therefore, deemed unnecessary.
“These books were not part of any examination structure and were simply meant for reading,” he said. “Without contributing to the academic performance of students, there’s no valid reason to continue them.”
#SupplementaryBooks #NoExamMarks
According to the minister, the removal is part of a larger effort to focus education on positive and balanced content, rather than material that is “politically biased or one-sided.”
He strongly criticised the content of the books, claiming that they gave excessive attention to Congress leaders, especially the Nehru-Gandhi family, while neglecting other pivotal national figures such as Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, B.R. Ambedkar, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee—the last of whom later founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological predecessor of the BJP.
#TextbookPolitics #BalancedHistory
“The books heavily focused on leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi,” the minister said. “Other leaders who played vital roles in shaping India’s future were conveniently overlooked.
Even Congress leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who has a prominent legacy, finds little to no mention.”
#NehruGandhiLegacy #IgnoredLeaders
The textbooks, which cover India’s journey post-Independence, include narratives on the freedom movement, UPA-era policies such as the Right to Education and the Right to Information, and feature photographs of Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, and Ashok Gehlot.
The Part-1 cover prominently features Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, while Part-2 includes pictures of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.
Further fuelling the debate, the books also reference key recent events like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, demonetisation, and GST implementation. Notably, the section on demonetisation critiques the execution of the policy, noting the difficulties faced by common people, including long queues at banks to exchange currency.
#DemonetisationDebate #TextbookNarrative
Minister Dilawar added a provocative analogy regarding the cost of publishing the textbooks. “Just because we purchased poison by mistake doesn’t mean we should consume it,” he said, suggesting that state funds had been misused by printing these allegedly biased materials.
#EducationReform #PublicSpending
He further criticised former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, stating that she imposed the Emergency in 1975 for political gain, silencing opposition and jailing innocent citizens. “The Congress even had the audacity to claim ‘Indira is India, and India is Indira,’ ignoring the foundational contributions of countless others,” Dilawar added.
#Emergency1975 #IndiraGandhiControversy
Unsurprisingly, the decision has sparked strong backlash from the Congress Party, with multiple senior leaders slamming the move as politically motivated and an attempt to erase legitimate contributions from the historical record.
Former minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas responded defiantly: “You can remove textbooks, but you can’t erase what people already know or feel. The sacrifices and leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the resilience of Indira Gandhi during the 1971 war, and the visionary work of Rajiv Gandhi in ushering the IT revolution are etched in public memory.”
#CongressReaction #HistoricalLegacy
Rajasthan Congress president and former education minister Govind Singh Dotasra echoed this sentiment, saying that the textbooks provided an honest overview of India’s post-Independence journey and depicted the contributions of multiple national heroes in building a modern, democratic India.
“The controversy has been manufactured unnecessarily,” he said.
#IndiaPost1947 #PoliticalControversy
The removal of the books is expected to intensify the ongoing national debate over curriculum reform, politicisation of education, and the portrayal of history in academic materials. As both BJP and Congress continue to spar over narratives, the classroom has once again become the battlefield for ideological conflict.
#TextbookWars #HistoryAndPolitics #EducationDebate
