The Vajpayee Government was under heavy attack for saffronisation, Hindutva, toxification and Talibanisation of history textbooks written by secular historians (read Marxist historians). Hardly any week passed by without such attacks mounted mainly by the leftist ideologues. All this happened because NCERT Director JS Rajput, with the consent of the then HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, removed nine incorrect passages from history textbooks for students up to XI class.

These books were written by so called eminent historians including R S Sharma, Satish Chandra, Romilla Thapar and Arjun Dev. Many of these books were running for 25-30 years. In fact, their recognition as 'eminent historian' is largely due to their authorship of related history textbooks.

They used to get huge amount on every re-print, and developed vested interests in the continuance of these officially recognised textbooks. So much so, once RS Sharma wrote to the NCERT that re-print of his book be recognised as a re-written book so as to entitle him for greater pecuniary gain. They, along with their party bosses and opponents of the BJP of all variety, continued their campaign for over three years. Some of them went up to the Supreme Court. However, when the court's verdict came, it went in favour of the NCERT.

But then, in 2004, the Government changed and Arjun Singh became the HRD Minister. Without any loss of time he restored the old history books as these were, that is, including those passages which were removed. What were those removed passages? The history book contained that the people of rigvedic period worshiped God not for any spiritual quest but for material things like foodgrains and animals. Lord Mahavir went wandering from place to place for 12 years in the same clothes; from the age of 42 years onwards he started living without any clothes. Prof Satish Chandra described Aurangzeb as godfearing and admired him as living 'peer'. Mohd Ghazni attacked Hindu temples to get money, he had nothing to do with Islam. Shivaji, who earned the honour of being saviour of Hindu religion is described in negative terms, for looting and killing Hindus in Vellore and Jindhi.

Romilla Thapar wrote that after the death of 7th Sikh Guru, infighting for the successor started among Sikhs. Aurangzeb therefore ordered killing of Guru Teg Bahadur.

Further, it is Thapar's revelation that Ram, Krishna and Arjun were imaginary people. Guru Tegh Bahadur was a robber. Aryans praised their warriors in poetry and all of these with the lapse of time became Mahabharata and Ramayan. Arjun Dev wrote that Jats had engaged in looting to de-establise the Delhi-Durbar Savarkar, Profulla Chaki, Lala Hardayal were terrorists.

All this and many more were being taught all these decades. All these passages from history books, which were removed, during that time, became the bone of contention. The present HRD Minister Arjun Singh got these passages included and on the other hand he adopted most vindictive methodology of setting enquiry commissions and by chargesheeting former NCERT director JS Rajput and his colleagues. By hook or by crook, they were dragged to courts.

When Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who himself is a Jat, approached the Central Government for removing insulting references about Jats, it immediately issued a notification and circular removing all the objectionable references.

The Sikhs also strongly protested against insulting references to their Gurus and got the same favourable response as given to Jats. There are symptoms of unrest among Jains against insulting references to Lord Mahavir. A massive Itihas Bachao Andolan is being lead by Dina Nath Batra and a number of historians against wrongful references in the history textbooks. A PIL has been field in Allahabad High Court.

The NCERT has filed an additional affidavit in the court that such passages in the history books have already been removed (including those nine passages.) The Government in its affidavit has promised that 21 other passages would be removed by April 1, 2007 and further eight by April 1, 2008.

All this forms part of the HC judgement. This judgement and additional affidavit filed by the NCERT proves beyond doubt that the opponents of the BJP, the media in general and the English media in particular, as also leftist intellectuals, created a mountain of saffronisation out of a molehill.

What is shockingly forgotten is that this judgement was disposed of by the media in one para or one column story in some inside page. Eminent historians who used to issue statements on weekly basis are dumb-founded. So far I have not seen any editorial regrets.

Courtesy: www.dailypioneer.com, Nvoember 19, 2006