-The Economic Times At its root, the whole controversy on cartoons in NCERT Textbooks underlines the malaise afflicting political debate in the country: passions whipped up in aid of divisive political ambitions. Here, rage and slanging matches trump reasoned debate. One of the stated reasons for the order of the six-member panel constituted to review cartoons - that politicians and bureaucrats can't be shown in an 'incorrect' way - amply reveals that...

-The Hindu ‘It did not seem to be too happy with recommendations’ The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Wednesday decided to hold further consultations on the S.K. Thorat Committee report that recommended the removal of 21 cartoons and words, which, it said, were “ambiguous,” negative or showed politicians and bureaucrats in an ‘incorrect’ way, from the Social Science and Political Science Textbooks for Classes IX-XII. Sources in the NCERT...

-The Hindu Against recommendation to delete several cartoons and texts from Political Science books   Historian K.N. Panikkar has said the S.K. Thorat panel, constituted to review the use of cartoons in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Textbooks, had undone an academically commendable effort. Terming the majority panel recommendation to delete several cartoons and texts of some others from the political science Textbooks “most unfortunate,” Dr. Panikkar told The Hindu...

-The Indian Express Prof M S S Pandian is not the sole dissenter as far as the Thorat committee’s recommendations on removal of cartoons from NCERT Textbooks go. A number of academic experts roped in by the committee to review Political Science Textbooks, which are at the centre of a controversy over “controversial” cartoons, also echoed views similar to Pandian and fully supported the cartoons. Set up in May following MPs’ objections...

-The Hindu “We know that Nehru had enjoyed Shankar’s cartoons on him” Academic and chairman of the National Curriculum Framework (2005) review committee Yash Pal has rejected the S.K. Thorat panel recommendations for deletion of cartoons on politicians and bureaucrats from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Textbooks. Terming the panel report “insensitive” and an example of the “growing politics of intolerance,” Prof. Yash Pal said “academicians [in the panel]...