NCERT Introduces ‘Criticism of Secularism’ in Textbook: Parties Disregard Equality, Prioritise Minority

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised the Class XI political science textbook, incorporating a critical perspective on secularism in India. This new content suggests that political parties prioritize minority interests for vote bank politics, leading to “minority appeasement.”

Key Changes:

• Previous Content:
  • The earlier edition emphasized that there is “little evidence” suggesting vote bank politics favors minorities and stated that such politics should only be considered wrong if it results in injustice.
  • It claimed that all political parties utilize vote banks without inherently troubling implications unless injustice is created.
• Revised Content:
  • The new version states that while vote bank politics might theoretically be harmless, it distorts electoral politics by mobilizing social groups to vote en masse for specific parties, thus prioritizing short-term gains over long-term development.
  • It highlights that competitive vote bank politics can exacerbate social divisions and portrays different groups as rivals.
  • The revision asserts that this form of politics is associated with minority appeasement, leading to the marginalization of minority groups and preventing social reforms.

Justification for Changes:

• The NCERT explained that the previous version failed to adequately define vote bank politics and appeared to justify it.
• The revised content aims to provide a relevant criticism of Indian secularism, addressing perceived anomalies in the earlier text.

These revisions are part of NCERT’s ongoing efforts to update the curriculum but are separate from the broader overhaul set to be completed by the 2025-26 academic session. This ongoing process, initiated in September 2021, involves comprehensive inputs from states, constitutional bodies, and expert groups.