"Mere apology by a minister won't suffice. Criminal cases should be registered against officials responsible for overlooking the gaffe," Athawale told PTI from Buldhana.
"It is a tragedy that while the world has lauded Ambedkar's role in framing an ideal Constitution for India, NCERT has defamed him by publishing such a cartoon," he said.
The cartoon in NCERT's 11th standard social science book, shows Ambedkar astride on a snail and Jawaharlal Nehru standing behind brandishing a whip.
The text in the book was also critical of Ambedkar stating that he delayed the process of framing the Constitution and worked on it at 'a snail's pace'.