India: Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh State Yogi Adityanath promises to‘correct history’ in textbooks

Hindustan Times

Yogi Adityanath promises to‘correct history’ in books
lucknow Updated: May 15, 2017 16:00 IST

HT Correspondent
Lucknow, Hindustan Times
Yogi Adityanath
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath holding a meeting with union home minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow on Sunday.(HT Photo)

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday there was a need to ‘expose’ those who ‘distorted history’ and that his government would include great personalities like Raja Suheldev, Lakhan Pasi and Rani Jhalkari Bai in syllabus so that students could draw inspiration from them.

“We would seek suggestions and include forgotten personalities in textbooks,” Adityanath said at a function organised by RSS affiliate Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) in memory of Raja Suheldev, a Pasi and the king of Bahraich. Some historians believe that the Pasi king stopped Muslim invaders from carrying out loot and plunder, reason why the VHP organised the function to mark the victory of Suheldev over Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masood, the invader and the nephew of Mahmood Ghazni.

“Ghazi and Masood demolished temples and tried to divide the country but Raja Suheldev understood and defeated their game plan,” Yogi said adding that heroes like Suheldev had not got their due in history.
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At the function, the CM agreed to VHP’s demand to construct a Surya Temple at Balaar in Bahraich. The VHP has also demanded naming Lucknow’s Sainik School in the name of ‘Raja Suheldev’ in whose name a memorial too has been demanded. Adityanath said he had agreed to VHP’s demands.

Indicating that his government was working on a new education policy, Yogi said, “Leaders like Ashfaqullah Khan, Abdul Hameed and APJ Abdul Kalaam are respected by one and all but we should consider if we would like to associate ourselves with Allauddin Khilji, Mahmood Ghazni, Ghauri, Babur or Aurangzeb?”