After the BJP-led government made amendments to history textbooks in Rajasthan schools, it seems the Rajasthan University may also follow suit.
BJP MLA Mohanlal Gupta has proposed to amend a historical event — the Battle of Haldighati of 1576 — by stating that it was won by Maharana Pratap who defeated Mughal emperor Akbar.
Gupta, a BJP MLA from Jaipur’s Kishanpole constituency, who is also a government nominee in the Rajasthan University syndicate, proposed this change at the syndicate meeting for revising history textbooks on Saturday.
Gupta suggested the change on the basis of a book authored by K S Gupta which mentions that Akbar’s forces led by his general Man Singh were defeated by Maharana Pratap.
“I want students to know the other side of history. I have suggested the change in the textbook after thoroughly reading this book which is an outcome of rigorous research,” he said.
The present textbook says that Akbar’s forces defeated Maharana Pratap, which
is also a popular view of historians.
Gupta’s proposal was met with fierce criticism by the Opposition and leading historians. “It’s not for the first time that the ruling party has tried to run down Akbar. Earlier they eliminated the suffix ‘Great’ from Akbar’s name in school textbooks. If such changes happen, the varsity must check with a panel of historians and make sure that they don’t share the same ideology,” Congress spokesperson Archana Sharma told DH.
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