Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

History is not written by politician­s: RSS offshoot

- Smriti Kak Ramachandr­an letters@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: The Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojna (ABISY), an offshoot of the RSS, which pushes for rewriting history from a national perspectiv­e, says politician­s should refrain from making disparagin­g remarks about the Taj Ma hal, a monument built by Mughal ruler Shah Jahan.

“History is not written by politician­s. It is the work of historians and archaeolog­ists to conduct research and this work should be left to them. Politician­s should not comment on the history of the Taj Mahal, which is the outcome of hard labour put in by Indians ,” B ala mu ku nd Pan dey, AB IS Y secretary, told HT.

The RSS functionar­y, who recently pitched for including “Indian heroes” such as Hemchandra, the “last Hindu king ”, in the pantheon of Indian rulers, asserted that the Taj cannot be discounted asa Mug hal constructi­on alone .“It is a work of art, a big draw for tourists. Who made it is not important, what is important is that it is a popular destinatio­n in India,” Pandey said.

The RSS offshoot, which has persistent ly sought there writing of history textbooks prescribed in schools and colleges to “correct the distortion­s made by the British ”, has distanced itself from the comments made by Som.

But it does obliquely refer to the demand raised by several B JP and RSSsym pa this er stoop en the basement of the Taj Mahal to search for evidence that the monument has a Hindu origin.

“History is not the final truth. There is scope for researchin­g more but there are scientific ways of doing so. Much progress has been made in the way archaeolog­ical and historical research can be conducted. The AS I, UNESCO, can use scientific and specialise­d X-rays,” said Pandey.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India