The Rajasthan government’s decision to discontinue four school textbooks from the 2026-27 academic session has sparked a political row, with Education Minister Madan Dilawar defending the move while the Congress accused the state of attempting to “erase history,” officials said.
According to an order issued by the Directorate of Secondary Education, following recommendations of the Board of Secondary Education, Ajmer, four textbooks for Classes 9 to 12 will no longer be taught in schools.
The discontinued books include “Rajasthan’s Freedom Movement and Valour Tradition” for Class 9, “Rajasthan’s History and Culture” for Class 10, and “Golden India After Independence” (Parts 1 and 2) for Classes 11 and 12.
Education Minister Madan Dilawar said the books were not part of the examination system and were intended only for general knowledge. He said the government was not removing them entirely but working towards rewriting them.
“These books had no contribution to results as their marks were not added. They were meant for knowledge, but even that knowledge was not appropriate,” Dilawar said, adding that the aim was to correct what he termed as inaccuracies in historical representation.
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He further said that several national figures such as Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and B R Ambedkar were either inadequately mentioned or given minimal representation in the textbooks. He also said important developments like the abrogation of Article 370 and contributions of leaders across political lines should be included in updated curriculum content.
Reacting to the move, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee chief Govind Singh Dotasra criticised the decision, calling it an “attack on history” and alleging that the government intended to present a selective version of historical events.
Dotasra said that removing entire textbooks instead of correcting factual inaccuracies reflected an intent to “erase” contributions of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.
He also alleged that the decision would exclude key aspects of the freedom movement, constitutional values and the development of national institutions, and demanded that the government reconsider the move.
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