JAIPUR: Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Friday justified the removal of four supplementary history books (Classes 9-12) for the 2026-27 session that focused on state history and post-independence narratives, claiming the move was necessary to prevent students from learning distorted facts.Speaking to the media in Kota, Dilawar criticised the previous Congress govt for not adequately representing historical figures such as former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and BR Ambedkar.“The Congress has neglected many heroes of history. Did only the Nehru-Gandhi family contribute to the nation? Did Patel, Shastri and Ambedkar make no contribution at all? By revising the curriculum, we are simply teaching the truth,” said Dilawar.The minister said that these books were not part of the examination curriculum, and the marks obtained were not added to the results.“They were taught solely for the purpose of acquiring general knowledge. If the goal is to impart knowledge, then why not teach something truly worthwhile? The Congress has produced many distinguished leaders — we pay our respects to them. Yet, figures like Shastri and Patel are conspicuously absent; absolutely nothing has been written about them,” said Dilawar.The Class 12 book ‘Azadi Ke Baad Ka Swarnim Bharat Part 2’ mentioned former PM Shastri in chapters about the milk revolution in the country.The school education minister further said that “only a single line was dedicated to Ambedkar” and that he was described “merely as a Dalit leader”.The Class 11 book ‘Azadi Ke Baad Ka Swarnim Bharat Part 1’, under the section on drafting of the Constitution of India, mentioned: “On Aug 29, 1947, the Constituent Assembly appointed a Drafting Committee. Dr Ambedkar was elected as the chairman of this committee.”Elaborating Ambedkar’s role in the drafting committee, the book stated: “It was these individuals who provided the Constituent Assembly with technical and legal expertise. These individuals — along with their diverse social and professional backgrounds — played a decisive role in shaping the fundamental structure of the Constitution, establishing its philosophical underpinnings, and endowing it with a sense of purpose.”However, experts expressed concern over the decision, noting that the removed books contained essential knowledge for students preparing for state recruitment exams like the RAS.“All four of these books were extremely sought after by those preparing for competitive exams in the state. For state history, aspiring candidates follow the additional reading material for Class 9 and 10 that has been discontinued. We teachers always get requests from aspirants to provide them these two books in particular,” said a history teacher from a govt school in Jaipur, requesting anonymity.Teachers said that aspirants follow NCERT history books to prepare for national history and RBSE books to prepare for state history.
