For all the uproar that the Congress has been trying to create in Parliament using the edited video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on Dr BR Ambedkar, here is a piece of history surrounding the controversial cartoon featuring Ambedkar and Nehru that made its way into textbooks. After the issue was raised in Parliament, Kapil Sibal who was the HRD Minister apologised for the inclusion of the cartoon. Here’s what happened.
In May 2012, a controversy erupted in both houses of Parliament on Friday over a cartoon of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar featured in a National Centre for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbook. The cartoon, which depicted Ambedkar being chased by Jawaharlal Nehru with a whip, sparked outrage, leading the government to apologize and order its removal from textbooks.
The then-Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal responded to the uproar, expressing regret over the matter and assuring that the “objectionable” content would be removed from future editions of the Class 11 political science textbooks. While Sibal emphasized that he was not personally responsible for the inclusion of the cartoon, he had “no hesitation in apologizing to the nation” for the controversy. He also confirmed that a committee had been set up to review all similar content in textbooks, with all such materials slated for removal in the next academic year.
The cartoon, originally published by renowned cartoonist Shankar in the 1960s, portrays Nehru urging Ambedkar to speed up the drafting of the Constitution. The depiction was seen by critics as insulting to Ambedkar, Nehru, and the nation as a whole.
Interestingly, the matter was raised in Parliament by VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, who, backed by lawmakers from various parties, demanded accountability for the inclusion of the cartoon. This led to multiple disruptions in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, with protests intensifying in the Rajya Sabha when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members expressed their outrage, calling the cartoon an “intolerable insult” to their icon.
BSP members, along with other opposition leaders, insisted that the cartoon had no place in educational materials, with some even demanding immediate action rather than the minister’s assurance of future removal. Outside the Parliament, opposition leaders expressed their dismay over the cartoon’s prolonged inclusion in the NCERT textbooks, with Communist Party of India member D. Raja highlighting that it had been published since 2006 without being flagged.
The government’s apology, however, failed to calm all factions, as leaders like BSP supremo Mayawati and Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Ram Kripal Yadav called for a thorough investigation into the matter and swift action against those responsible for its inclusion.
(With inputs from India Today)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.