NCERT removes cartoon on coalition govts from Class 12 textbook
says it casts India in ‘negative light’
New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has made a change to its Class 12 political science textbook by removing a political cartoon that illustrated the challenges and uncertainties faced by coalition governments in India. The decision to remove the cartoon was made as it portrayed the country in a “negative light.”
The cartoon, created by Ravishankar and originally published in India Today magazine, featured images of several Prime Ministers, including V.P. Singh (1990), Chandra Shekhar (1990), P.V. Narasimha Rao (1991), H.D. Deve Gowda (1996), I.K. Gujral (1997), and A.B. Vajpayee (1998). It included a series of questions about the stability of their coalition governments and the state of democracy in India.
According to a report in The Hindu, the illustration has been replaced with two students conversing with each other in speech bubbles. In the new illustration, one student questions, “Does that mean that we will always have coalitions? Or can the national parties consolidate their positions again?” The other student responds, “I am not worried about whether it is a single party or a coalition government. I am more worried about what they do. Does a coalition government involve more compromises? Can we not have bold and imaginative policies in a coalition?”
The document published by the NCERT outlining these changes dates back to April 2024, before the general election and the formation of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not hold a majority on its own.
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21-year-old air hostess dies by suicide in Thane; ex-partner booked for abetment
Thane: A 21-year-old air hostess allegedly died by suicide at her residence in Maharashtra’s Thane district, and police have registered a case of abetment against her former partner, officials said on Wednesday.
The woman was found hanging from a ceiling hook at her residence in Anusuya Niwas area of Kalyan on December 28, News18 reported.
According to a complaint filed by the deceased’s mother, she became concerned after her daughter failed to respond to repeated phone calls and asked a neighbour to check on her. The neighbour found the woman hanging from a ceiling hook.
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She was rushed to Rukminibai Hospital, where doctors declared her dead, the official said.
The complaint stated that the deceased had been in a relationship with the accused since 2020. It alleged that he had recently refused to marry her, threatened to make her private photographs public, and had entered into a relationship with another woman, which drove her to suicide.
The family reported several grievances after reviewing her phone and bank statements following her last rites.
Police stated that the chat records and marks on her body suggested the accused frequently assaulted her. Bank account details showed that the accused had taken several lakh rupees from her on the promise of marriage, with the last transaction recorded on December 16, 2025.
Based on the complaint, police have registered an FIR against the accused under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway, officials said.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the state’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416.)
