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Ambedkar textbook toon upsets MPs -JP Yadav and Basant Mohanty

A “derogatory” cartoon on B.R. Ambedkar in a Class XI textbook today created a furore in both Houses of Parliament and forced an apology out of minister Kapil Sibal outside the House.

The ruckus, however, aborted an expected Opposition attack on home minister P. Chidambaram over his alleged role in helping his son gain from an Aircel-Maxis deal.

Fittingly enough, the issue that spared Chidambaram for the day was raised by the Lok Sabha member from the reserved Chidambaram constituency in Tamil Nadu, Thol Thirumaavalavan.

The lone Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi MP waved a copy of a seven-decade-old cartoon, reprinted in an NCERT political science textbook six years ago, showing Jawaharlal Nehru whipping Ambedkar to hurry up with preparing the Indian Constitution.

Eventually, it was human resource development minister Kapil Sibal who had to hurry to Parliament and issue clarifications in both Houses. He announced withdrawal of the “objectionable” cartoon and the stoppage of the book’s distribution.

By evening, the NCERT’s chief advisers on the book — Suhas Palshikar of the University of Pune and Yogendra Yadav, senior fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies — had stepped down, saying they were doing so to allow an independent review of the book.

“I apologise to the people of the country for this cartoon,” Sibal told reporters. “The cartoon will be withdrawn.... A committee will be set up to examine all the cartoons and contents in the textbooks.”

He said his ministry had written to the NCERT on April 26 to withdraw the cartoon, and added the chief advisers had resigned to facilitate an independent review.

The textbook, Indian Constitution At Work, may be reprinted soon after removing the cartoon: nearly two lakh CBSE students have political science. It has been part of the Class XI syllabus since 2006 and was prepared by a group of academics from various institutions across the country.

Why cartoons

The book carries a letter to students, saying cartoons would help them learn better.

“Many chapters have cartoons too. But they are not there simply as comic relief. They tell you about the criticism, about weak spots, about near-failures,” the letter says.

“We hope that apart from enjoying these cartoons, you would learn from them, both about politics and how to think about politics.”

The chief advisers defended themselves. In a joint statement, they said the textbook included photographs, facsimiles of documents, newspaper clippings and cartoons apart from text.

“This is a cartoon not done for the textbook but published at the time when the Constituent Assembly was working. It does not criticise or comment upon Dr Ambedkar. It depicts Dr Ambedkar as the one who is in charge of Constitution-making,” the statement said.

Yadav and Palshikar said the textbook had been vetted by a panel co-chaired by professors Mrinal Miri and G.P. Deshpande and including, among others, academics Gopal Guru and Zoya Hasan of the JNU.

“It is ironic that the textbook, which for the first time paid due attention to Ambedkar’s role in the making of the Constitution, is being targeted for denigrating him,” Yadav told The Telegraph.

“It is sad that our parliamentarians cannot understand the symbolism of a cartoon as an art form and wish to take it literally. In a democracy, the fate of textbooks should not be decided in a few minutes of intense and ill-informed debate.”

Former NCERT director J.S. Rajput disagreed. “The cartoon (purports to) show that Ambedkar was slow in making the Constitution. This is not correct. It might be a very good cartoon but it is not meant for a textbook since cartoons leave a lasting impression,” Rajput said.

‘Great insult’

Thirumaavalavan told the House the cartoon was “a great insult” to both Nehru and Ambedkar. “It is a great insult to the nation, Parliament and democracy.”

Earlier, as the Lok Sabha assembled, the BJP and the AIADMK were gearing to keep the heat up on Chidambaram. Both parties had moved adjournment notices alleging Chidambaram’s act of reading out his son’s statement in the House yesterday had violated parliamentary norms.

“A minister issuing a clarification is understandable, but here he (Chidambaram) read out a statement of his son... It is against the rules. It is contempt of parliamentary norms,” leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said.

But by then, Thirumaavalavan was in the well of the House, waving a copy of the cartoon. Sensing the issue had political potential, Samajwadi MP Shailendra Kumar too rushed to the well.

Taken by surprise but not to be left out on an issue involving Ambedkar, BSP members too were on their feet. Members from other parties — the Left, Janata Dal (United), Congress and the rest —joined the din.

Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee sought to calm the MPs. “Dr Ambedkar was the Ved Vyas of the Indian Constitution…. India produced the lengthiest Constitution within the shortest possible time,” he said, adding he had asked Sibal to come and clarify. But two adjournments followed before Sibal could come and make his statements.