NCERT adds section on Emergency in Class 9 textbook; Education minister Pradhan backs move

In a significant move, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has included a section on ‘Emergency’, which it describes as "one of the major challenges to democracy in India" with Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan backing the move.

Pradhan, hailing the move, said that future generations should know about the "dark deeds" of the Emergency so that such situations do not repeat in the country.

Speaking to ANI, on the inclusion of new section Pradhan said, "This is correct. NCERT has done the right thing. Future generations should know and understand the dark deeds of the Emergency so that such a situation does not arise again. That is why NCERT brought it to the forefront. NCERT did a good job."

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Emergency section in Class 9 social science textbook

According to the Press Trust of India reports, the topic was already a part of the Class 12 school curriculum during the UPA rule in 2007; however, this is the first time it has been included in Class 9 textbooks.

A paragraph in the newly developed NCERT's Class 9 social science textbook ‘Understanding Society: India and Beyond’ reads:

"One of the major challenges to democracy in India was recorded when an Emergency was imposed in 1975-77. In the early 1970s, public dissatisfaction with the government led by Indira Gandhi was growing. Rising unemployment, inflation, and allegations of misgovernance led to widespread protests."

"In June 1975, a National Emergency was imposed by the government on the grounds of internal disturbance. During this period, a majority of fundamental rights were suspended, the press was censored, and numerous political leaders and activists were arrested. Democratic institutions came under severe strain, and citizens' freedom was restricted," the section added.

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The Emergency was imposed 51 years ago on June 25, 1975, following a period of political unrest and a court verdict that declared Indira Gandhi's election null and void.

Ruling party backs move

The ruling party, BJP, also backed the decision, saying the "dark chapter" in India's constitutional history must be remembered to ensure it never happens again.

BJP has attacked the opposition party, Congress, over the imposition of the Emergency and alleged that it is opposing the NCERT decision to introduce the section.

Talking about the inclusion of the news section, Congress leader Sachin Pilot while talking to ANI said: “Whenever the BJP government is in power in a state or in the centre, they try to present the history the way they want. The challenge faced by democracy has never been seen before in the history of independent India. The way voices are being oppressed using social media, media, judiciary, bureaucracy, Election Commission. This is the first time a government is misusing such institutions."

On the other hand, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla praised the move and said that the Emergency in 1975 marked the darkest chapter of India's democratic and constitutional journey, and alleged that the Congress had attacked every constitutional institution during the period.

"The Emergency was imposed out of lust for power by Indira Gandhi and the Congress. Every constitutional body was attacked,” he said.

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Inclusion of ‘Emergency’ debate in schools

The inclusion of the Emergency in the school curriculum has been debated for years. Although critics had long argued that textbooks did not adequately portray the full extent of the Emergency's excesses, several sections dealing with that period were removed in 2023 during a curriculum rationalisation exercise undertaken by the BJP-led government following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The deleted material included controversies surrounding the declaration of the Emergency, as well as accounts of the abuse of power and alleged malpractices associated with the government of Indira Gandhi.

Earlier, in 2018, the then-HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar had also alleged that the textbooks did not reflect the "whole story" of the Emergency in the school curriculum, to make students understand the reality of that time.

"In our textbooks, there are some chapters and columns on the Emergency that will be reviewed, and this black chapter and assault on democracy of the country will figure some more in the books. We will include the whole story of Emergency in the curriculum. Children should know the reality of that time. That is why the Emergency period is considered to be the second freedom struggle," he said.