Nagpur: Shiv Sena and BJP legislators on Thursday staged angry demonstration in the premises of Vidhan Bhavan against NCERT for ‘heaping insult’ on Great Maratha Warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and ‘glorifying’ Mugal Emperors Babar and Aurangzeb in its textbook. The protesting legislators demanded immediate withdrawal or cancellation of the textbooks.
“The CBSE deliberately dropped the brave acts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and gave weightage to enemies of Swarajya and history of Babar and Aurangzeb. This concocted history is now being taught to lakhs of students in Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools not only in Maharashtra but across the country. This is very serious issue and we will not tolerate it. The textbooks of NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) which deliberately insulted the Great Maratha King should immediately be withdrawn or cancelled,” warned the legislators. The MLAs raised slogans such as “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajancha Avmaan Karnarya NCERT Cha Nishedh Aso,” “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajancha Avmaan Karnari Pathyapustake Radda Kara, Radda Kara,” “Afzalkhanachya Avladicha Nishedh Aso,” “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji.”
The protesting MLAs include Bharatsheth Gogavale, Kishor Appa-Patil, Pratap Sarnaik, Sharad Sonavane, Prakash Survey, Balaji Kinikar, Dr Rahul Patil, Vaibhav Naik, Rupesh Mhatre, Sadanand Chavan, Shantarm Morey, Rajan Salvi, Suresh Gore, Ashok Patil of Shiv Sena and Ashish Shelar, Sardar Tarasingh, Unmesh Patil, Haribhau Jawle of BJP.
“The NCERT textbooks are taught in CBSE schools. In the Class VII textbook “Hamare Atit-2,” 60 pages out 154 have been devoted to invaders of the country Mugal Emperors. On the other hand, Maharashtra’s pride and presiding deity Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s history was wrapped in just four lines that too without his photograph. This is insult to the Maratha King. A detailed history of Babar and Aurangzeb is being taught to students with photographs. This is not Pakistan for teaching wrong history,” thundered the protesting legislators and warned that if the textbooks are not cancelled a Shiv Sena style agitation will be launched.
