Rejoinder: Not true, RSS has no role whatsoever in preparing NCERT textbooks

By Michel Danino*
Prof. Shamsul Islam has been writing mendacious and slanderous articles about the new NCERT Social Science textbooks in Muslim Mirror (click August 8 and August 20). In Counterview these appear to be their shortened versions (August 9 and August 21).
In both articles, Prof. Islam alleges that the new textbooks were prepared under the control of the RSS. This is a baseless claim, and I felt compelled to respond with the following rejoinder:
In these writings, apart from his heavily distorted comments on the new NCERT Social Science textbooks—books he has clearly not read in full—he has indulged in slander, calumny, and language that at times borders on hate speech.
First, his allegation that the new textbooks were prepared “under the influence of RSS” is an outright falsehood. He offers no evidence, because there is none—except in his imagination. I have repeatedly clarified that our team prepared these textbooks without any political or ideological interference.
Our sole mandate was to follow the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023 (NCF-SE 2023), two major documents designed to bring transformative changes in education. Prof. Islam has evidently not read them. Our team was given full freedom to develop the material, which went through multiple reviews by experts, colleagues, and teachers. The RSS has no role whatsoever in this process.
Secondly, he has sought to demonize me personally as “a Hindutva supporter,” once again without the slightest evidence. I have nothing to do with Hindutva. My academic contributions—many published internationally—are available for all to see on my Academia.edu page.
Impartial readers have often remarked that my work, unlike Prof. Islam’s, presents a diversity of viewpoints before arriving at an argument, and does so in a polite, respectful manner. Much of my work deals with aspects of Indian civilization, which perhaps he regards as a crime.
Lastly, Prof. Islam cannot even get his basic facts right. In his August 20 article, whose shorter version was published in Counterview on August 21, he claims that I “supervised” the recent NCERT modules on Partition. This is entirely false. Neither I nor my Social Science team had anything to do with those modules or others of that kind. In fact, I have not yet even had the opportunity to read them.
It is regrettable that such misrepresentation and abuse is being published, which hardly fits the definition of a “Counterview.”
Counterview's guidelines to contributors state that content “should not be derogatory, should not incite hate.” Publishers, including online platforms such as Counterview, are legally bound to ensure that the material they carry does not contain false, deliberately misleading, slanderous, or defamatory statements.
---
*Guest Professor, Earth Sciences Dept., IIT Gandhinagar. https://es.iitgn.ac.in/faculty/michel-danino, https://iitgn.academia.edu/MichelDanino, https://www.youtube.com/@micheldanino1956

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

What Epstein Files reveal about power, privilege and a system that protects abuse

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* The Jeffrey Epstein scandal is not merely the story of an individual offender or an isolated circle of accomplices. The material emerging from the Epstein files points to structural conditions that allow abuse to flourish when combined with power, privilege and wealth. Rather than a personal aberration, the case illustrates how systems can create environments in which exploitation becomes easier to conceal and harder to challenge.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Green capitalism? One-billion people in the Global South face climate hazards

By Cade Dunbar On Friday, 17 October 2025, the UN Development Programme released the 2025 edition of its Multidimensional Poverty Index Report . For the first time, the report directly evaluates their multidimensional poverty data against climate hazards, exposing the extent to which the world’s poor are threatened by the environmental crisis. According to the UNDP, approximately 887 million out of the 1.1 billion people living in multidimensional poverty are exposed to climate hazards such as extreme heat, flooding, drought, and air pollution.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Electoral Integrity Forum seeks immediate halt to SIR 2.0, calls for mandatory social audit

By A Representative The Forum for Electoral Integrity has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to immediately pause the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2.0 of electoral rolls, warning that the exercise is generating widespread distress and may result in unlawful exclusion of valid voters. In a memorandum dated November 20, 2025, addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, M.G. Devasahayam, Convener of the Forum for Electoral Integrity and Coordinator of the Citizens’ Commission on Elections, called the process legally unsound, administratively disruptive, and constitutionally problematic.

Search This Blog