New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has submitted a notice to initiate privilege proceedings in the Rajya Sabha against Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan for “misleading” the House over the issue of alleged dropping of the Preamble to the Constitution from certain NCERT textbooks.
In his letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Ramesh said that on August 7, 2024, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge raised the matter regarding “omitting the Preamble to the Constitution of India in the textbooks by NCERT for children of Class 3 and 6”.
“In response thereto, Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of education, subsequently (at 12 Noon) inter alia stated ‘abhi bhi kaksha 6 ki jo pathyapustak aayi hai, usme bhi preamble hai (the textbook for Class 6 that has come out also contains the preamble)’,” Ramesh said.
This assertion by Pradhan is factually “incorrect and misleading”, Ramesh said in his letter to Dhankhar dated August 8.
“In support of my contention, I enclose herewith copies of textbook for Class 3 titled ‘Looking Around’ (Environmental Studies), November, 2022 edition, textbook in Hindi titled “Rimjhim-3’ November, 2022 edition and textbook of Class 6 titled ‘Honeysuckle’, December 2022 Edition. In these textbooks, the Preamble to the Constitution had been incorporated as was done in the earlier editions of the textbooks,” the Congress leader said.
On the other hand, in the textbook for students of Class 3 titled ‘Our Wondrous World’, June 2024 edition, textbook in Hindi titled ‘Veena’, June 2024 edition and the textbook for students of Class 6 titled ‘Poorvi’ June 2024 edition, the Preamble to the Constitution has been omitted, he claimed.