Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister accuses Centre of trying to 'confuse' people

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 25 (ANI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday accused the Centre of seeking to confuse people after reports in sections of media that an NCERT panel had recommended replacing 'India' with 'Bharat' in school textbooks.
"Why are we saying the Reserve Bank of India, Indian Administrative Service and Indian Foreign Service? In our passports, we have the Republic of India... Why are they confusing the minds of Indians?... Whatever stand they have taken is completely anti-people, anti-India, and anti-Bharat... I am telling you they (NCERT) have been forced by the NDA government. This is completely wrong... You can't change the history of India... Karnataka will continue with whatever there was earlier..." he told reporters.
NCERT on Wednesday said that "it is too premature to comment" on reports in sections of media concerning changing 'India' to 'Bharat' in its textbooks and noted that development of new syllabus and textbooks is in the process for which groups of domain experts are being notified by it.
NCERT said that since "the development of new syllabus and textbooks is in the process and for that purpose various Curricular Area Groups of domain experts are being notified so it is too premature to comment on the news being flashed in the media on the concerned issue".
A high-level National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) panel, headed by historian CI Issac, had earlier recommended replacing 'India' with 'Bharat' in school textbooks.
The recommendations were made by the seven-member Committee for Social Sciences which is among the committees constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training to prepare position papers on various subjects.
The panel chaired by Issac was among the 25 committees formed by the NCERT in December 2021 to prepare position papers on various subjects and themes.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also slammed the Central government over the media reports.
"They are suggesting so many things. You can see how they are distorting the history of India through the textbook, syllabus, and everything... I didn't know about the India-Bharat thing... For us, India and Bharat are equal," Venugopal said.
DMK leader TKS Elangovan claimed that the central government is changing the name only because the opposition alliance had named their alliance as INDIA. (ANI)