The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has compelled the Kerala Government to withdraw and correct controversial content from school textbooks that portrayed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in a negative light and excluded two Indian states from the national map.
The issue arose after the 4th standard Environmental Studies teacher text and handbook, prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) as part of a curriculum revision, described Bose as a coward who fled to Germany fearing the British regime. The draft also carried a glaring omission by leaving Assam and Jharkhand out of India’s map, triggering widespread outrage.
Following ABVP’s sustained opposition and a formal complaint, the Kerala department of Education intervened, directing SCERT to rectify the mistakes before the revised material goes to print. The corrected lesson has now been uploaded on the SCERT website, while the drafting committee members responsible for the errors have been debarred from future academic activities.
ABVP hailed the development as a victory for its persistent resistance. National Secretary Shravan B Raj said the organisation’s intervention had “forced the Kerala Government to accept its mistake and issue corrections.” He condemned the original draft as part of a “deliberate conspiracy” to malign one of Bharat’s greatest patriots.
“The attempt to portray Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as a coward was not accidental. By omitting Assam and Jharkhand, the CPM-led government revealed its anti-national mindset. This was a sinister agenda to mislead young students and weaken national unity. ABVP will never allow such poisonous propaganda to creep into the minds of Bharat’s future generation,” Shravan stated.
ABVP Kerala State Secretary E.U. Eswaraprasad also criticised the government, arguing that the incident exposed the hollowness of the much-praised Kerala education model. “This was a heinous attempt to inject lies and Leftist propaganda into children’s minds. It is ABVP’s collective strength and nationwide voice that compelled the government to act. We warn the CPM-led government that ABVP will stand like a rock against every such anti-national ploy,” he said.
The controversy over the textbook revision highlights the deep political contest over history writing and education in Kerala. With SCERT now ordered to make the corrections, ABVP has declared that it will remain vigilant to ensure that no further distortions enter the state’s curriculum.
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