Flawed History? NCERT Faces Criticism Over Partition Modules

The Indian History Congress criticizes NCERT's new Partition Horrors Remembrance Day modules for allegedly promoting falsehoods with communal bias. The modules implicate the Congress, Jinnah, and Mountbatten in the Partition, while exempting the British. The Congress accuses NCERT of distorting history and not mentioning the two-nation theory by V D Savarkar.

The Indian History Congress (IHC) has publicly criticized the NCERT's latest Partition Horrors Remembrance Day educational modules, claiming these materials distort historical facts and spread a biased perspective. The IHC argues that the modules unfairly implicate the Congress alongside Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten as responsible for Partition, while exonerating the British.

Beyond assigning blame, the modules also highlight post-Partition challenges, notably the Kashmir issue, which the IHC claims is exacerbated by foreign aid to Pakistan. By portraying the British as having attempted to preserve India's unity, the modules, according to the IHC, misrepresent the historical context.

The IHC further criticizes the exclusion of Hindu communalist figures, such as V D Savarkar, from discussions of responsibility, despite their influential 'two-nation' theory. The Council emphasizes that nationalist leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, who sacrificed his life opposing communal divisions, should not be labeled as culprits.

(With inputs from agencies.)