Union home minister Rajnath Singh has endorsed the Rajasthan government's move to introduce the erstwhile Mewar ruler Maharana Pratap as someone greater than the Mughal emperor Akbar. Towing the line of Sangh Parivaar's push for Hindu icons, Rajnath Singh asked historians to revisit history by giving Mewar ruler Maharana Pratap more credit. Singh, who was in Pratapgarh to unveil a massive eight-metal statue of Maharana Pratap, he said history taught in Indian school had not adequately recognised Maharana Pratap’s contribution. The event is organised to celebrate Maharana Pratap's 475th birth anniversary.
“Maharana Pratap became an icon for freedom fighters because his name evoked a strong feeling of love and sacrifice for the motherland. Even the Vietnamese were inspired by him and it helped them in defeating a powerful country like the US,” said Singh. "I have no objections to historians writing Akbar The Great. But why not Pratap The Great? The valour and sacrifice that the Maharana demonstrated in the Mewar region was equally impressive and he should be accorded more respect and dignity," he said. "I feel the Maharana's true valuation has not been done in the history the way it should have been," Rajnath Singh said.
"The guerrilla warfare that the Maharana had waged against the Mughals became an inspiration for freedom fighters like Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and even Chhatrapati Shivaji and Banda Bairagi," he said. "Virtues of Maharana Pratap have become more relevant in today's world," he said. "I congratulate the Rajasthan government for introducing a chapter on Maharana Pratap and I assure that I will take up with the HRD ministry to introduce a similar chapter in CBSE and ICSC syllabus too," Singh said.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh referred to Nobel laureate VS Naipaul's book 'India: A Wounded Civilisation' and said, "Naipaul has observed that he found India the only country in the world where history written by foreign historians are taught in textbooks. Indian historians should heed to Naipaul and take measures in right earnest."
One question remains unanswered, Why the so called secular politicians are not ready to recognize anybody who is a Hindu and reluctant to honour and respect them. These politicians take over time to honour and respect the invaders who came to India and destroyed whatever is a Hindu and these pseudo secularists are also not different from the invaders in spitting venom against whatever is Hindu and taking the advantage of the Hindus not being a vote bank. The present government, which does not have any obligation towards the foreign culture has taken steps to protect and highlight the real culture and value of the country. These steps will surely ensure the culture and traditions of the country is being showcased for the world to understand and study.
By Premji
