Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala General Education Minister V. Sivankutty criticised the decision of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to use Hindi titles for English-medium textbooks, describing it as irrational. He accused the central government of "cultural imposition" and of "sabotaging the linguistic diversity of the country."

NCERT reportedly released the new names of books for various classes. Class 1 and Class 2 books are now named as 'Mridang' and a Class 3 book named as 'Santoor'. The Class 6 English book has been renamed from 'Honeysuckle' to 'Poorvi.'

“The NCERT decision is against federal principles and the Constitutional values. It is not only violation of common logic, but an incident of foisting one’s cultural values in such a manner sabotaging the linguistic diversity of our country,” asserted Sivankutty.

The minister argued that the titles in the textbooks are not just names; they shape the perception and imagination of children, adding that English-medium students should have English titles in their textbooks. He opined that education should not be an instrument of imposition but of empowerment and consensus.

He further called upon the NCERT to review and withdraw this decision and urged all states to unite against such impositions.

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Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan following the recent terror attack at Pahalgam, asserting that Pakistan is not just half an hour but half a century behind India.

Speaking at a public meeting in Parbhani, Maharashtra, organized to oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Owaisi dismissed threats made by Pakistani leaders. "You are not just half an hour behind, you are half a century behind India. Your country's budget is not even equal to our military budget," he remarked.

Referring to Pakistan’s repeated boasts about its nuclear arsenal, Owaisi warned that no country would remain silent if innocent civilians were killed. He alleged that Pakistan has been training terrorists for years to target India and stressed that international law grants India the right to impose an air blockade and use ethical hacking to disrupt Pakistan’s Internet systems.

Owaisi also condemned the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack, stating they had asked the religion of tourists before killing them. “Which religion are you talking about? You are worse than the Khawarij. This act shows you are the successors of ISIS,” he said.

The Hyderabad MP called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take decisive action to economically weaken Pakistan. He also emphasized that Kashmiris are an inseparable part of India. "If Kashmir is our integral part, Kashmiris are also an integral part. How can we suspect them?" he questioned, while highlighting the bravery of Kashmiris who fought terrorists and saved lives during the attack.

On the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Owaisi urged the public to join protest programmes announced by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), including the 'Batti Gul' protest on April 30 by switching off lights.

The AIMIM chief criticized leaders such as Ajit Pawar, Nitish Kumar, Jayant Chaudhary, and Chandrababu Naidu for supporting the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. He accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of betraying the community and said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had jeopardized his son's political future by backing the Bill.

Owaisi reiterated that Muslims and secular-minded citizens would not forgive those who supported the Bill.