NEW DELHI — A new controversy has ignited in the Indian political landscape following the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) introduction of a new module on the Partition of India. The new material, which blames Congress, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Lord Mountbatten for the division, has led to a fierce exchange of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress.
BJP Accuses Congress of ‘Jinnah’s Thinking’
BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia held a press conference on Saturday to respond to the Congress’s criticism of the new module. Bhatia claimed that the “Rahul-Jinnah” party was upset that the “truth of partition” was being added to textbooks. He went on to assert that Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah have become “synonymous with each other.”
Bhatia accused the Congress of continuing Jinnah’s “poisonous thinking of appeasement and communalism.” He specifically cited the Congress’s alleged advocacy for reservations based on religion and its purported desire to implement Sharia law, drawing a parallel to Jinnah’s demands during the pre-Independence era. “The coming generations should know the truth of partition,” Bhatia stated.
Congress Alleges ‘Villainous Role’ of RSS
Bhatia’s comments were a direct reaction to a press conference held by Congress leader Pawan Khera, who strongly criticized the NCERT’s new module. Khera alleged that the module distorts history and deliberately erases the “villainous role” played by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during the Partition.
Khera claimed that the true reason for the Partition was the “collaboration” between the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League. He accused the RSS of working as “informants” during that period and of collaborating with Jinnah. “If there is any greatest villain in history, it is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),” Khera stated, adding that future generations would not forgive their actions.
The NCERT module itself has sparked a major political firestorm. It argues that the Partition “was not inevitable” and that the Congress leadership “accepted the plans of Partition” and “underestimated Jinnah.” The module also faults Louis Mountbatten for the “haste” in implementing the division, which led to a humanitarian catastrophe. Both the Congress and BJP are using the new module to push their respective historical narratives, turning the academic debate into a full-blown political war.