NCERT’s Partition module sparks political row; Congress slams narrative on 1947 division
PTC Web Desk: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a special module for schools to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, triggering a sharp political backlash.
The module states that the Partition of India in 1947 was not the decision of one person alone, but the outcome of three forces: Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who pushed for Partition; the Congress, which agreed to it; and Lord Mountbatten, who was sent to carry it out.
It adds that Partition created a long-term security problem for India, particularly in Kashmir, noting that “one of our neighbouring countries has since used this issue to put pressure on India in different ways.”
Separate versions of the module have been prepared for Classes 6–8 and Classes 9–12, outside of the regular textbooks. It also refers to the 1940 Lahore Resolution, where Jinnah argued that Hindus and Muslims represented “two different villages, philosophy, social customs, and literature.”
The module further claims that while the British initially offered dominion status to keep India united, the Congress rejected the proposal.
The text highlights that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel believed Partition was necessary to avoid civil war, stating, “India had become a battlefield and it was better to partition than to have civil war.”
Mahatma Gandhi opposed Partition but refused to resist Congress’s decision with violence. It notes Gandhi’s words: “I cannot be a party to Partition, but I will not stop Congress from accepting it with violence.” Eventually, both Jawaharlal Nehru and Patel accepted Partition. On June 14, 1947, Gandhi also convinced the Congress Working Committee to agree to the division.
The module strongly criticises Lord Mountbatten for advancing the date of independence. Initially set for June 1948, the transfer of power was moved up to August 1947. The hurried demarcation of boundaries, it notes, caused massive confusion: “In many places, people did not even know by August 15 whether they were in India or Pakistan.”
Political backlash
The module has been fiercely criticised by the Congress. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera said in a press briefing, “Burn this document as it doesn’t tell the truth. Partition happened due to the nexus between Hindu Mahasabha and Muslim League.”
He accused the RSS of being a threat to the country and claimed that the idea of Partition was first raised by Hindu Mahasabha in 1938 and later repeated by Jinnah in 1940.
- With inputs from agencies
