In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the DMK chief said, "Such misleading and derogatory depiction of any community is highly objectionable and should have no place in our education system".
Karunanidhi, whose party is a key ally of the UPA government at the Centre, requested the Prime Minister to direct officials to rectify these "errors"and remove the objectionable references from the textbook of class IX.
The contributions of the Nadar community to the freedom struggle and its political leaders, including former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Kamaraj, had been "belittled by the references in this textbook", he said.
"It is also historically incorrect to have labelled them as migrants to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu," Karunanidhi said.
MDMK leader Vaiko and PMK leader S Ramadoss have also objected to the references.
