The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a revised Class 9 social science textbook under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
The updated book no longer reproduces the Constitution’s Preamble or explains its key terms, while introducing a chapter on the Emergency for the first time in the revised Class 9 curriculum.
The changes have sparked a political debate, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defending the revisions and the Congress accusing the government of attempting to reshape constitutional education.
In the previous Class 9 textbook, Democratic Politics-I, an entire chapter titled Constitutional Design centred on the making of the Constitution and used the Preamble to explain constitutional values. Students were introduced to the meanings of terms such as “Sovereign”, “Socialist”, “Secular”, “Democratic” and “Republic”. The earlier textbook also described the Preamble as the philosophy underpinning the Constitution and referred to it as a “poem on democracy.”
The revised textbook discusses the Constitution through topics including the Constituent Assembly, constitution-making, democratic institutions and fundamental rights. It describes the Constitution as a “robust, flexible, transformative, and responsive” document while highlighting values such as liberty, equality, justice and fraternity.
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However, the Preamble itself is not reproduced, and its terminology is not explained. A review of the textbook also shows that the terms “secular” and “secularism” do not appear in the volume.
Emergency Included in Revised Class 9 Curriculum
The revised 220-page textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part 1, introduces a section titled Challenges to Democratic Practices in India, which discusses the Emergency imposed between 1975 and 1977.
According to the textbook, a National Emergency was declared in June 1975 on the grounds of internal disturbance. It states that during this period, a majority of Fundamental Rights were suspended, the press was censored, numerous political leaders and activists were arrested, democratic institutions came under severe strain and citizens’ freedoms were restricted.
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Textbook Describes Events Leading to Emergency
The chapter explains that public dissatisfaction with the government led by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the early 1970s, amid unemployment, inflation and allegations of misgovernance, resulted in widespread protests.
It also highlights the role of mass movements led by Jayaprakash Narayan, describing how students and citizens, particularly in Bihar and Gujarat, participated in the protests.
The textbook notes that the Emergency ended in 1977, after which general elections were conducted. It states that the defeat of the ruling government demonstrated the strength of Indian democracy and underscored the importance of constitutional safeguards, civil liberties and citizen participation.
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Integrated Textbook Replaces Four Separate Subjects
The newly introduced textbook replaces the separate NCERT books for history, geography, political science and economics that were used until the 2025-26 academic session.
Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, students will study the integrated textbook, which contains two chapters each from the four disciplines. Previously, the Emergency was discussed only in the NCERT Class 12 Political Science textbook introduced in 2007. The revised Class 9 edition marks its first inclusion at this level.
Changes Extend to Election Commission Content
The revised textbook also modifies the treatment of the Election Commission of India.
The earlier Class 9 chapter Electoral Politics emphasised the Commission’s independence and described it as one of the most powerful election bodies in the world. It detailed its authority to enforce the Model Code of Conduct, order re-polls and ensure free and fair elections. The updated integrated textbook presents revised content as part of the broader curriculum restructuring under NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023.
Political Reactions Over Curriculum Changes
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed the inclusion of the Emergency chapter, stating that future generations should understand what he described as the “dark deeds of the Emergency.”
Congress leader Sachin Pilot criticised the move, alleging that BJP governments attempt to present history, literature and textbooks according to their own perspective. He also said that democracy currently faces unprecedented challenges in independent India.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut defended former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, stating that the Emergency is a constitutional provision and that the Constitution empowers the Prime Minister to impose an Emergency under specific circumstances. He added that this does not diminish the importance of respecting the Constitution.
