The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced significant revisions to the Class 11 Political Science textbook for the 2024–25 academic year, stirring conversations about the portrayal of vote bank politics and its implications in India.
Why the Change?
NCERT states that the revisions aim to provide a “relevant criticism of Indian secularism,” moving away from what they perceived as the older version’s tendency to justify vote bank politics. The revised content delves into the concept of vote bank politics, particularly focusing on how it associates with minority appeasement and the potential disregard for equality principles.
Vote Bank Politics: Old vs. New
In both the older and revised versions, the textbook includes a section on “vote bank politics” within the chapter on secularism. Both versions pose critical questions about the impact of seeking minority votes at the expense of other groups’ welfare and rights, questioning if such practices undermine the majority’s interests and create new injustices.
The Older Version: The 2023–24 edition suggests that there’s little evidence of a system skewed in favor of minorities, arguing that the problem isn’t with vote bank politics per se but with forms that generate injustice. It emphasizes that all political parties engage in vote bank politics with various social groups, framing it as a common political strategy rather than a systemic flaw.
The Revised Version: The 2024–25 edition expands this discussion, critiquing the mobilization of social groups to vote en masse for particular parties or candidates. It argues that this approach distorts electoral politics by artificially constructing a monolithic group identity, prioritizing short-term electoral gains over long-term development. The revised text highlights that this form of vote bank politics, often linked to minority appeasement, can exacerbate social divisions and marginalize the very groups it aims to support.
Broader Implications
According to NCERT, the rationale behind these changes is to move from justifying vote bank politics to offering a more nuanced critique of how such practices can undermine equality and secularism in India. This aligns with the broader goal of ensuring that textbooks reflect contemporary societal and political contexts.
Additional Revisions
In the Class 12 Political Science textbook, a paragraph discussing the emergence of multi-cornered political competition post-1990s has been removed. This paragraph outlined the political landscape involving coalition parties with Congress, BJP alliances, Left Front parties, and independent groups. NCERT deemed this content irrelevant to the current context, leading to its deletion.
Conclusion
These textbook revisions mark the fourth round of changes since 2014, reflecting NCERT’s ongoing efforts to update educational content in line with evolving political and social landscapes. By critically examining vote bank politics and its implications, the revised textbooks aim to foster a deeper understanding of Indian secularism and the challenges it faces in contemporary politics.
Wishaw Post 