The Congress has stirred massive protests across the country which seem orchestrated rather than sporadic. While the Congress hypocritically accuses the centre of being disrespectful to Dr BR Ambedkar, let us take a look at an instance from the UPA era when the Congress disrespected Ambedkar and mocked him and even ensured it was in textbooks!
In May 2012, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) decided to remove the controversial Ambedkar-Nehru cartoon from the Class XI political science textbooks. The decision came after the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry issued directions to withdraw the cartoon, which had been part of the “Indian Constitution at Work” textbook since 2006.
The cartoon, created by renowned political cartoonist Shankar in 1948, depicted Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the chairman of the drafting committee of the Indian Constitution, riding a snail, with Jawaharlal Nehru standing behind him holding a whip. The image sparked widespread debate, particularly in Parliament, and led to the decision to remove it from future editions of the textbook.
NCERT confirmed that the cartoon would no longer appear in the textbooks starting next year. While books already printed for that year could not be withdrawn from circulation, it was stated that future editions would omit the controversial cartoon.
The inclusion of the cartoon had been intended to make the textbook more visually appealing and accessible to students, in line with the national curriculum framework, which emphasized making education more engaging and enjoyable. However, the cartoon had been interpreted by some as disrespectful to Ambedkar, leading to its eventual removal from the curriculum.
The decision marked the end of a six-year run for the cartoon in educational materials, which had allegedly never been meant to be derogatory to Ambedkar or the drafting committee.
(With inputs from Times Of India)
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