BJP's ultimate attack is on the Constitution, Manoj Jha said (File)
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Wednesday said the BJP-led Centre is in "panic" since opposition parties have named their grouping INDIA, as a high-level NCERT committee has recommended replacing "India" with "Bharat" in the school textbooks for all classes.
Taking a jibe at the Centre, Mr Jha also wondered what would it do if the opposition alliance renamed itself as "BHARAT".
"I am surprised to see the character of institutions under this government. Such reactions have been coming since the INDIA grouping was formed around July. From the prime minister to other ministers, they are unable to decide how to attack the INDIA bloc," he said.
"This is a panicked and hysterical reaction," the Rajya Sabha MP added.
Mr Jha wondered whether the government also intended to amend Article 1 of the Constitution, alleging that the ultimate attack is on the Constitution.
"The NCERT is doing this. But what will you do with Article 1 of the Constitution, which says 'India, that is Bharat'...? Are you averse to this as well?" he asked.
"They are playing with historical facts.... It means history will be written based on counterfactual imagination, they will play with facts and also with the name of the country. The ultimate attack is on the Constitution," Jha said.
"What will they do if we change our name to BHARAT? Would they name the country Aryavart or Jambudweep?" he asked.
A high-level committee for social sciences, constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, has recommended that "India" should be replaced with "Bharat" in the school textbooks for all classes.
According to committee chairperson C I Isaac, the panel has suggested replacing the name "India" with "Bharat" in the textbooks, introducing "classical history", instead of "ancient history", in the curriculum and including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the syllabus for all subjects.
NCERT officials, however, said no decision has been taken yet on the panel's recommendations.
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