Thiruvananthapuram: Minister M B Rajesh criticised the NCERT's recent defence of altering references to the Babri Masjid demolition in school textbooks, accusing the Board of attempting to communalize government systems. 

Rajesh, a senior CPM leader, condemned similar attempts of the BJP-led central government over the past 10 years, claiming them to be ill-intended.  

"The NCERT's recent actions demonstrate that despite the BJP's diminished majority in the Lok Sabha, the Sangh Parivar remains steadfast in pushing its divisive agenda," said Rajesh, who is the Local Self-Government Department (LSGD) Minister. 

"This serves as a stark warning to all of us. We must persist in our collective opposition to the Sangh Parivar's agenda of communalising textbooks and other facets of government," Rajesh told reporters.

However, Dinesh Prasad Saklani, the NCERT Director, defended the changes, arguing they were part of routine updates and not cause for alarm. He justified the modifications by asserting that discussing riots in textbooks could potentially lead to negative impacts on students' psyche.

"Why should we include details of riots in school textbooks? Our aim is to foster positive citizenship, not to create individuals prone to violence and despair," Saklani reasoned during recent discussions.

The controversy surrounding the revised Class 12 political science textbook includes replacing references to the Babri Masjid with the term "three-domed structure" and trimming the Ayodhya section from four to two pages, omitting previous details.

The alterations have sparked debate amidst the release of the updated textbooks to schools across the country. (With inputs from PTI)