The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) continued to lash out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and alleged that the distortion of history and strangulation of democracy by altering the NCERT syllabus by the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is an attempt to whitewash its past. The move signals toward the process of “ghettoisation” so that a fascist society can be established, the MPCC said on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media at Congress Bhawan in Imphal, MPCC vice-president Harishwar Goswami pointed out that the alteration of syllabus is an act of mimicking the tactics played by the Nazis to spread fascism through education.
The topics which were completely removed from the syllabus include Key Elements of Democratic Government, Indian After Independence, Democracy in Diversity, Popular Struggle and Movements, political parties, Challenge to Democracy, Industrial Revolution, Kings and Chronicles; the Mughal Courts (C. 16th-17th centuries) among others, he said.
“The move is a visible indicator of the ulterior motives of the un-secular BJP/RSS which are the diverse policy and intolerance; attempt to rewrite history with a fascist ink to conceal their past anti-national movements and establish a fascist government by murdering democracy,” said Goswami.
Moreover, their intention is also to expunge the role of the Indian National Congress (INC) during India’s freedom struggle and the post independence period to build a new India, he added.
Regarding dropping of the reference to ‘Godhra Riot (2002 Gujarat Riot)’ from class XII sociology textbook titled Understanding Society, he alleged, “The reference was dropped as it involved PM Modi, though he was given a clean chit when he was well in power without proper trial and procedures.”
He further pointed out that a few Dalit writers have also been dropped. It is time for all the political parties to act against such actions by considering it as a primary responsibility to save democracy, history and secularism.
“One can distort history and subdue democracy rights for sometime but not erase them forever,” added Goswami.
