In a spirited response, Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister, D K Shivakumar, expressed strong disapproval of the recent recommendation by an NCERT-convened panel to replace “India” with “Bharat” in school textbooks. He also alleged that the move bore the influence of the NDA government.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had formed a high-level committee for social sciences to revise the school curriculum, and this committee recommended the substitution of “India” with “Bharat” in textbooks across all grade levels.
Committee Chairperson, C I Isaac, explained that the panel also proposed incorporating “classical history” in lieu of “ancient history” within the curriculum, along with integrating the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the syllabus for all subjects.
D K Shivakumar, in his response, questioned the wisdom of this decision by highlighting the presence of the Reserve Bank of India, Indian Administrative Services, and Indian Foreign Services, where the term “Bharat” is not employed. He raised the issue of the term “Republic of India” on Indian passports, further underscoring his concerns.
Shivakumar stated, “I think something wrong has happened to this government. I don’t know why they are confusing the young minds of Indians.” He contended that the move was influenced by the NDA government and deemed it “completely wrong.” He urged the Central government not to adopt the recommendation.
He emphatically declared, “You can’t change the history of India,” and reiterated the importance of Indian independence, asserting, “We call it Indian independence. We don’t call it Bharat independence.”
Shivakumar declared that Karnataka would maintain the status quo and consult within the Cabinet, indicating no plans to implement the proposed change.
