Row Erupts in Maharashtra Council After Map of Maratha Empire Dropped from School Textbook
Removal of the Maratha Empire map from an NCERT Class 8 textbook sparked outrage in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, with opposition leaders demanding action and the state government promising to raise the issue with the Centre.
Mumbai | March 10 2026: A political storm erupted in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Monday after it was revealed that a map of the Maratha Empire had been removed from a Class 8 textbook prepared by National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Opposition members strongly protested the omission and demanded immediate corrective action.
The issue was raised by Congress leader Satej Patil, who questioned the rationale behind removing the historical map related to the empire of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Patil also asked whether the government had reviewed the textbook content when the chapter was prepared and discussed earlier.
According to information obtained through a Right to Information query on January 7, 2026, the map had been removed from the Hindi and Urdu editions of the Class 8 history textbook. Patil criticized the decision, arguing that the historical significance of the Maratha Empire should be accurately represented in educational material.
As opposition members objected to the government’s response, heated exchanges broke out in the House. Legislators raised slogans praising Shivaji Maharaj, including “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji,” creating a brief disruption during the proceedings. Intervening in the debate, Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe urged members to maintain order and asked the minister to confine his remarks specifically to the issue of the map.
Responding to the concerns, Maharashtra Minister of State for Education Pankaj Bhoyar acknowledged that there were shortcomings in the textbook. He informed the Council that the state government had written to the Union government on March 9 requesting corrections and would follow up on the matter. Bhoyar added that the NCERT book includes a chapter titled “The Rise of Maharashtra,” which discusses Shivaji Maharaj’s history, but the government would push for appropriate revisions to ensure historical accuracy
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