Nehru’s Pic Replaced With Savarkar’s in Goa School Books: NSUI

NSUI chief says that by doing this, the ruling party is trying to undermine Congress’ role in the freedom struggle.

Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister.

(Photo: Hardeep Singh/The Quint)

A photograph of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has reportedly been replaced with that of RSS co-founder and freedom fighter Vinayak Savarkar in the Class 10 History and Political Science textbooks in Goa, claims Ahraz Mulla, chief of Goa’s National Student's Union of India (NSUI).

According to Mulla, Nehru's photo has been replaced with that of Savarkar in the chapter 'Rise of Nationalism in India'. In the old book, Nehru's photo was present on page 68, which has now been replaced with Savarkar's photo on page 48.

The 2017 edition of the book, Mulla claims, had Nehru’s picture.(Photo Courtesy: Ahraz Mulla)

Mulla says that the caption accompanying the picture of Savarkar reads: ‘In 1904, one of the prominent revolutionaries, who had the experience of revolutionary activity in India, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (popularly known as Swatantraveer Savarkar) founded Abhinav Bharat to guide the revolutionaries’.

The 2018 edition of the book in which Nehru’s picture has been replaced by Savarkar’s, according to the NSUI president. (Photo Courtesy: Ahraz Mulla)

The textbook, titled India and the Contemporary World II – Democratic Politics, earlier contained a picture of Nehru, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Azad at the Sevagram ashram at Vardha, Maharashtra, in 1935, he adds.

Tomorrow they will remove the photo of Mahatma Gandhi and question what Congress has done in 60 years. They have to ensure they do not change history, which our ancestors have given us, and the fight that the Congress has carried out for independence. 

Ahraz Mulla to <i>IANS</i>

Image of the textbook in question titled India and the Contemporary World II –Democratic Politics.(Photo Courtesy: Ahraz Mulla)

Officials from Goa’s education department told The Indian Express, that the new syllabus was released in May 2018.

"It is very sad that the BJP has removed the photo of Pandit Nehru from the textbook and Savarkar's photo has been included in the books of the Goa Education Authority," Mulla added.

The Congress, on several occasions, has accused the BJP of trying to “change history” in academic textbooks, to undermine its contribution to the freedom struggle.

(This is a developing story.)