- 17 August, 2025
New Delhi, August 16, 2025: A new special module released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has attributed responsibility for India’s Partition to three figures—Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Congress leadership, and then Viceroy Lord Mountbatten.
The module, developed for Partition Horrors Remembrance Day observed annually on 14 August, states: “Jinnah, who demanded it; second, the Congress, which accepted it; and third, Mountbatten, who implemented it.” This reference appears under the section titled ‘Culprits of the Partition’ in the module designed for Classes 6 to 8.
The material also features a speech by Jawaharlal Nehru from July 1947, in which he declared: “We have come to a stage when we must either accept division or face continued conflict and chaos. Partition is bad. But whatever the price of unity, the price of civil war would be infinitely greater.”
What the Modules Contain
NCERT has issued two separate modules—one for Classes 6 to 8 (middle stage) and another for Classes 9 to 12 (secondary stage). These are supplementary resources, published in English and Hindi, and are not part of the regular curriculum. Instead, they are intended for use in projects, posters, discussions, and debates.
Both modules begin with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2021 message announcing the observance of Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Quoting his post on X (formerly Twitter), the text recalls: “Partition’s pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced, and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.”
Middle-Stage Module
The middle-stage module argues that Partition “was not inevitable” and emerged from “wrong ideas.” It highlights that Nehru and Patel accepted the division fearing civil war, after which Mahatma Gandhi too relinquished his opposition.
“In fact, Nehru and Patel accepted Partition due to the fear of civil war. Upon their agreeing, Mahatma Gandhi also gave up his opposition...” the text notes.
It emphasises Gandhi’s opposition came “not with violence or anger.” Patel described Partition as “bitter medicine,” while Nehru called it “bad” but unavoidable.
Secondary-Stage Module
The secondary-stage module links Partition to Muslim leaders’ insistence on a separate identity rooted in “political Islam,” which it claims “rejects any permanent equality with non-Muslims.” This ideology, it argues, drove the Pakistan movement with Jinnah as its “able lawyer-leader.”
The text underlines that after Mountbatten assumed the role of Viceroy in March 1947, violence escalated, and Jinnah’s unyielding demand compelled Nehru and Patel to consent to Partition. On 3 June 1947, Mountbatten announced the plan, which both Congress and the Muslim League accepted.
According to the module, Partition had “no parallel in world history.” Between 1947 and 1950, the division fractured India’s unity, devastated Punjab and Bengal’s economies, triggered mass killings and displacement, and deepened communal distrust. It also set Jammu and Kashmir on a path of turmoil, which later intensified with terrorism.
Continuing Legacy
In a section titled ‘Long-Term Losses – still ongoing’, the module states: “India continues to face both external hostility and internal communal fragmentation. The same suspicion and animosity between the two major communities still persists—the very sentiment that had led to Partition.”
It further links the Partition to the Kashmir conflict, wars with Pakistan, terrorism, and India’s high defence expenditure. The text also argues that foreign powers supporting Pakistan to exert pressure on India have imposed long-lasting strains on the country’s foreign policy.
Source: NDTV
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