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Union Human Resource and Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday assured that Ambedkar cartoon will be removed from the NCERT textbooks, and apologized to the nation. Sibal also disclosed that the HRD Ministry had taken the decision to remove this particular cartoon from the textbooks earlier in April. "I would like to state that this issue came to my notice sometime towards April and we sought an explanation from the NCERT. And after an explanation had come, we took the decision on 26th of April that this particular cartoon should be withdrawn from the NCERT textbook on 'Political Science and Indian Constitution at Work'," he said. Sibal also read out a formal communication to justify his earlier statement. "On the 26th of April, a formal communication was sent to the Director NCERT, which read as follows 'I am directed to refer to your communication dated 4th of April, 2012 on the above mentioned subject and to say that the matter is being examined in this ministry and it has been considered advisable to withdraw the cartoon from the NCERT textbook of 'Political Science and Indian Constitution at Work' Class 11. Action taken in the matter may please be intimated to this ministry at the earliest," he said. Sibal said that he had already taken action in this regard, and also called for removal of some other cartoons that were disparaging in nature and were not sending the right message to the children in classrooms. "So, much before the issue came to Parliament, I had already taken action. Not only that, I called for the NCERT textbooks and I looked at other cartoons. And I realized that there were many other cartoons that were in not good taste that were disparaging in nature and were not sending the right message to our children in classrooms. So, I directed the setting up of a committee to look at the entire gamut of cartoons in textbooks and the content of the textbooks to ensure that material of this nature is taken out of the textbooks and withdrawn from textbooks," said Sibal. "As of this morning, I have taken a further decision that the textbooks, which contain this particular cartoon shall not be distributed further because some of the textbooks I am told by NCERT have been sent through distributors for distribution. I have stopped the further distribution of those books. So, those printed and with NCERT will not be distributed. Those already distributed to wholesalers, wholesalers will be told not to further distribute them," he added. Sibal further said there could be no question of anybody trying to malign Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who is the architect of the Indian Constitution. "And I want to say through you to the people of my country that we have great respect for Baba Rao Ambedkarji, he is in a sense the chief architect in the framing of the Indian Constitution. So, there can be no question of anybody trying to malign him or anybody trying to make fun of him because that I think will be against the secular ethos of our country. And if there is any such feeling, I am personally willing to apologise for it," he said. A united Opposition raised this issue in the Lok Sabha earlier today, demanded an explanation from Sibal on the issue. The cartoon shows former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru whipping Dr BR Ambedkar who is seen sitting on a snail, allegedly to speed up drafting the constitution.

Sibal apologises over Ambedkar cartoon, assures its removal from textbooks