Jaipur, July 12 -- The Rajasthan government's decision to remove the Class 12 history book, "Azadi Ke Baad Swarnim Itihaas", from the state board curriculum has triggered sharp political reactions, reigniting debates around historical narratives and educational reforms. Defending the decision, education minister Madan Dilawar said on Friday that the book did not carry weight in examinations. "If someone buys poison by mistake, it's not necessary to consume it," he said, adding that with numerous books in circulation, it's not possible for the department to vet each one thoroughly. "Once the issue came to our notice, we withdrew the book," he said. Dilawar added that textbooks for Classes 1 to 5 are undergoing a fresh review, while from Classes 6 to 12, the NCERT syllabus will be uniformly implemented across Rajasthan. He also questioned the content of the withdrawn book, alleging it glorified the Gandhi family while ignoring national figures such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Lal Bahadur Shastri. "The Congress is misleading people for political mileage," he claimed, adding that the book's marks were not counted in board assessments. Criticising the decision, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot termed it "absurd." In a post on social media, Gehlot said, "It is a fact that after independence, Congress governed the country for the longest period and took India to historic heights. The BJP cannot erase this truth." He said it was under Congress governments that Indian scientists launched missions like Chandrayaan, and engineers built major factories, dams, and institutions. "Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the nation. Can the BJP change these facts too?" he questioned. Gehlot also pointed out the financial waste of discarding books worth Rs.2.5 crore. "If the government wants to include achievements of the NDA governments, they can add supplementary pages to existing the books. But turning them into scrap is a misuse of public money," he said. Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully said, "BJP leaders now want to erase the contribution of the true nation builders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel and also Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi from history. But this is not possible. BJP leaders did not even sacrificed a single drop of blood in the freedom struggle. How could their contribution be included in history? The syllabus will have only those names and contributions of the ones who sacrificed for this country and laid the foundation stone of independent India."...