Kolkata: Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar on Monday said that the Mughal era has not been removed from NCERT textbooks, but only repetitive content has been edited out.
Speaking to ANI, Majumdar said, "It has not been dropped. Repetition has been removed. Repetition should not be there." He emphasised that while the Mughal period remains a significant part of Indian history, it should not be glorified at the expense of other historical eras.
"The Mughal era is an important part of Indian history. Similar importance should be given to the other era also, the one which was India's golden period," he added.
He described the Mughal period as "the darkest part of Indian history."
Last week, while addressing a public gathering in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke about what he described as the "glorification" of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in Indian history textbooks.
He said such portrayals distort historical facts and wrongly encourage admiration for a ruler whose legacy is deeply controversial." In our history books, even a cruel and ruthless ruler like Aurangzeb has been presented in a glorified manner. Due to this distorted history, some people attempt to portray Aurangzeb as a hero. An attempt is being made to create sympathy for Aurangzeb without knowing the truth..." he said.
Quoting former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Singh said, "Pandit Nehru himself called Aurangzeb a fanatic and bigoted ruler. He wrote that Aurangzeb imposed the Jizya tax on Hindus and tried to suppress Rajputs, Sikhs, Marathas, and others. He also destroyed many Hindu temples."
Singh further recalled the execution of Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb's elder brother and a well-known scholar who translated the Upanishads. "How can such a ruler be anyone's hero? Such people never talk about Dara Shikoh, who translated the Upanishads. Who got Dara Shikoh killed? Aurangzeb got him killed. His hatred for Sanatan culture was behind Dara Shikoh's murder," he said.
Aurangzeb has been a deeply polarising figure in Maharashtra, and controversies surrounding the Mughal ruler frequently resurface in the state's political discourse. Nagpur was the centre of violent clashes between two communities after right-wing outfits held a protest demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb.
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