Ambedkar caricature irks dalits

Enraged dalits across Maharashtra have threatened to take to streets over ''a highly derogatory'' depiction of Babasaheb Ambedkar through a cartoon in the NCERT’s textbook for 11th standard. 

The Dalits have demanded of the National Council of Education and Research Training (NCERT) to withdraw its Higher Secondary (11th std.) political science textbook, containing the said cartoon of Ambedkar.

Republican Party of India-Athawale (RPI-A) leader Ramdas Athawale at a press meet here displayed the NCERT textbook contents. He demanded the resignation of NCERT president Kapil Sibal, under whose aegis “the book has been prepared and cleared for students.”

The contentious chapter titled “Indian Constitution at Work” (Chapter-I of Political Science in Central Board of Secondary Educaiton curriculum)  while discussing the makings of the Constitution, carries a small box allegedly ‘lampooning Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar atride a snail with reins in hand with Jawaharlal Nehru standing behind brandishing a whip.' The cartoon has been credited to ‘Shankar.Children’s Book Trust.'

Athawale said that his party had already intimated Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Minister for Human Resources Development (HRD) Science and Technology Kapil Sibal about the “disparging figure,” in the text book.

“However, we have not received any reply whatsoever. Even the content describing the making of constitution is also quite biased. It tries to project Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar as a mere critic and that the drafts were prepared by several committees formed at the time.

“We never said that the entire constitution was written by Babasaheb but then the fact remains that the final draft was not only cleared by him but also envisaged by him. Even Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and other political stalwarts admired Dr Ambedkar’s legal acumen and insight into world constitutions,” Athawale said.

“We not only want an immediate withdrawal of the book but also an immediate rectification of the chapter. Sibal should immediately resign. He is a lawyer and claims to be a constitutional expert. Then it is strange that such berating drawings should be put up... This is not an imagined insult...anybody who sees it would find it shocking,” Athawale said.