# NCERT revamps Class 11-12 political science textbook panel 2026-08-19T13:23:09+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets The NCERT has reconstituted the Textbook Development Team for Class 11 and 12 Political Science with a mandate to integrate cultural rootedness, Indian knowledge systems and inclusion. At least four of the 20 members have direct or indirect links with the RSS, as reported by the Assam Tribune and National Herald. The Indian Express reported the formation without mentioning the RSS links. The team is led by academic Sandeep Shastri. Among the members with RSS links are Yadunath Deshpande, a senior consultant with the Education Ministry who has held ABVP posts and describes himself as a BJP political consultant, Prashant Divekar, associated with RSS-affiliated Jnana Prabodhini, Vandana Mishra, a former ABVP national secretary, and Ravi Rameshchandra Shukla, an associate professor who has served on the editorial board of an RSS-affiliate publication. The team will develop the Class 11 textbook by November and the Class 12 book by July next year. NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said the team will integrate cross-cutting themes such as cultural rootedness, Indian knowledge systems and inclusion. The Assam Tribune and National Herald led their reports with the RSS links, while the Indian Express did not mention them. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The Assam Tribune and National Herald frame the textbook committee's formation as a political story, emphasising RSS links to suggest ideological influence. The Indian Express covers it as a routine curriculum update, omitting the affiliations. The middle ground is that while the government has mandated cultural rootedness, the inclusion of RSS-affiliated members is a fact, not a conspiracy. Readers should watch the content of the new textbooks for any substantive changes, not just the committee's composition. ## Coverage Coverage: 3 sources, 2 government-critical, 1 neutral - assamtribune.com (government critical) Leads with RSS links of four members, framing it as a political appointment - indianexpress.com (neutral report) Reports the formation without mentioning RSS links, treating it as an administrative update - nationalheraldindia.com (government critical) Headline uses 'saffron shades' and leads with RSS links, implying ideological capture This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-19T15:06:58+00:00. Tags: ABVP, JNU, Ministry of Education, NCERT, RSS, Sandeep Shastri Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ncert-revamps-political-science-panel-members-have-rss-links/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ncert-revamps-political-science-panel-members-have-rss-links/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/