NSUI Flags Alleged RSS, ABVP Links in NCERT Political Science Textbook Panel

The National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has raised concerns over the composition of the reconstituted NCERT Textbook Development Team tasked with preparing Political Science textbooks for Classes 11 and 12, alleging that some members have direct or indirect links with the RSS-affiliated ecosystem.

The Congress-affiliated student organisation has questioned whether the presence of individuals with reported associations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its student wing, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), could affect academic neutrality and ideological diversity in the development of school textbooks.

The allegations have not been independently established as evidence of any influence over the textbook content.

NCERT Textbook Panel for Classes 11, 12

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has reconstituted the team to develop new Political Science textbooks for Classes 11 and 12.

According to the NCERT notification, the team has been tasked with completing the Class 11 textbook by November 2026 and the Class 12 textbook by July 2027.

The new textbooks are expected to incorporate themes such as cultural rootedness, Indian Knowledge Systems and inclusion, with inputs from curricular area groups covering social sciences, languages, environmental education, innovative pedagogy and teaching-learning material.

The team is headed by academic and political analyst Sandeep Shastri, vice-president of Karnataka-based Nitte, and includes academics and educationists associated with institutions such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University, National Law University and IGNOU.

NSUI Points to Members' Previous Associations

NSUI has specifically highlighted the organisational backgrounds of several members.

It pointed to Yadunath Deshpande, currently a senior consultant with the Ministry of Education, citing his reported organisational association with ABVP.

NSUI also highlighted Prashant Divekar's association with Pune-based Jnana Prabodhini, an organisation that has been linked to the RSS ecosystem.

The student organisation also referred to Vandana Mishra, a professor at JNU's Centre for Political Studies, as a former national secretary of ABVP.

Another team member, JNU associate professor Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla, was highlighted by NSUI because of his association with the editorial board of the Indian Journal of Democratic Governance, published by the Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership-Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, an organisation associated with the RSS.

Concerns Over Ideological Neutrality

NSUI argued that the composition of the panel raises questions about how subjects such as the Indian Constitution, democracy, fundamental rights, secularism, federalism and social justice will be presented in the new textbooks.

NSUI national president Vinod Jakhar said NCERT is a national academic institution and should not function as an extension of any political organisation.

The student organisation has demanded that the current panel be dissolved and reconstituted with independent educationists, political science scholars, constitutional experts and experienced teachers.

NSUI Seeks Transparency in Textbook Development

NSUI has also demanded that NCERT publicly disclose the qualifications, expertise and selection criteria of all members of the textbook development team.

The organisation further called for independent academic review and public consultation of the draft textbooks before they are finalised.

“Education must empower young Indians to question, reason, think critically and understand the Constitution, not turn them into followers of any ideology,” Jakhar said.

In a post on X, NSUI alleged that the inclusion of members it describes as RSS-affiliated raises serious questions about the independence of the textbook development process and accused the government of attempting to turn the education system into an “ideological laboratory”.

The controversy comes as NCERT undertakes a broader revision of school textbooks under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the new curriculum framework.