Prominent advisors want names dropped from textbooks

Political scientists Yadav and Palshikar object to biased NCERT textbooks with their names, threatening legal action if not withdrawn.

Political scientists Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar wrote to the NCERT on June 17, objecting to the new textbooks carrying their names even after they had disassociated themselves from the revisions and saying they would be forced to take legal recourse if these books with their names were not withdrawn immediately.

In their letter, Mr. Palshikar and Mr. Yadav said they do not want the NCERT to "hide" behind their names to pass on to students textbooks of political science that are "politically biased, academically indefensible, and pedagogically dysfunctional."

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Mr. Palshikar and Mr. Yadav, who were chief advisors for political science textbooks, said last year that the rationalisation exercise has "mutilated" the books beyond recognition and rendered them "academically dysfunctional" and demanded that their names be dropped from the books.

They had stated that the textbooks, which were a source of pride for them earlier, have now become a source of embarrassment.

The revised version of the textbooks, which recently hit the market, still identifies them as chief advisors.

"Besides the earlier practice of selective deletions, the NCERT has resorted to significant additions and rewriting that are out of sync with the spirit of the original textbooks… The NCERT has no moral or legal right to distort these textbooks without consulting any of us and yet publish them under our names despite our explicit refusal," the letter said.