Kharge slams Modi government over changes in NCERT textbook

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Friday criticized the Modi government for removing topics related to Mahatma Gandhi, Godse, RSS, and the 2002 Gujarat riots from NCERT textbooks, calling it an attempt to distort history. Kharge cited a letter written by Sardar Patel on February 4, 1948, where he expressed concern over the RSS’s role in creating an atmosphere that led to Gandhi’s assassination.

“Sardar Patel Ji wrote in a letter on 4 February 1948 — ‘Gandhi Ji’s death led the RSS members to express joy and distribute sweets, which further intensified the opposition. In these circumstances, the government had no choice but to take steps against the RSS.’ While writing this letter to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, he said— ‘The report proves that the atmosphere created in the country due to the activities of RSS and Hindu Mahasabha is what led to Gandhi Ji’s assassination,'” Kharge said in a post on platform X.

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The removal of topics from NCERT textbooks has sparked controversy, with critics accusing the government of attempting to rewrite history. Kharge’s comments come amid ongoing debates over the RSS’s role in Indian history and the government’s efforts to promote its ideology.
Kharge’s remarks have been met with a sharp response from the BJP, which has accused the Congress of ignoring Patel’s legacy for decades and now using his name to target the RSS.