NCERT Class IX Emergency Section Added: Dharmendra Pradhan Calls it 'Good Job'
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NCERT's decision to add the 1975 Emergency to the Class 9 social science textbook has drawn praise from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who said future generations must understand the "dark deeds" of that period.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 25: The NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) has added a "dark chapter" to the Class 9 social science textbook. The lesson focuses on the imposition of Emergency rule in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. This is the first time NCERT has included this phase of India's history in a textbook — "Understanding Society: India and Beyond."
The chapter describes the Emergency as "one of the major challenges" to democracy in India, during which a majority of fundamental rights were suspended. It condemns Indira Gandhi for the 1975 move and credits Jayaprakash Narayan for mobilising students — particularly from Bihar and Gujarat — in a mass movement against the government.
The NCERT Class IX Emergency section has been included in newly developed social science textbook.
The inclusion marks a significant addition to the school curriculum, coming as the country recently observed 50 years since the declaration of Emergency in 1975.
It has sparked debate in political circles, with some welcoming the move and others objecting, arguing that the Emergency was a constitutionally sanctioned action.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed the move. Speaking to the reporters,h, "This is correct. NCERT has done the right thing. Future generations should know and understand the dark deeds of the Emergency so that such a situation does not arise again. That is why NCERT brought it to the forefront. NCERT did a good job."
Reacting to the matter, Shiv Sena (UBT) senior leader Sanjay Raut said that Indira Gandhi neither broke political parties nor abolished the Constitution itself. He added that all RSS leaders who were jailed during the Emergency, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who later became Prime Minister, were kept in jail with all facilities.
"The situation in this country over the last 12 years should also be discussed. Indira Gandhi did not break any political party or abolish the Constitution. The Emergency is not just a subject for study — it is also provided for in the Constitution. The Constitution gives the Prime Minister the right to impose an Emergency if anarchy spreads in the country. This does not mean one should disrespect the Constitution. I want to ask: why was demonetisation implemented?": Sanjay Raut.
(With Inputs from PTI)
