New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Education on Monday denied the interpretation of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution as a “separatist document” in the NCERT’s Political Science textbooks.
The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi in response to a written question in the Lok Sabha by Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
“The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has informed that the present NCERT textbook of Political Science for Class 12, titled ‘Politics of India Since Independence’ available online (ncert.nic.in) has not interpreted the Anandpur Sahib Resolution as a separatist document, which was signed between the then prime minister and the SGPC (Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee),” Devi said.
“They have also informed that they have not dubbed the treaty as a demand for a separate Sikh state,” she added.
The Anandpur Sahib Resolution was a statement with a list of demands made by the Shiromani Akali Dal in 1973.
The resolution affirmed the party’s commitment to the Sikh religion and demand for greater autonomy for Punjab. It also demanded that the city of Chandigarh be handed over to Punjab and that Punjabi be given second-language status in neighbouring states.
