3 min readJaipurMar 4, 2017 12:33 PM IST
First published on: Mar 4, 2017 at 11:47 AM IST
Rajasthan Education Minister Vasudev Devnani
As if removing the suffix ‘Great’ from Akbar’s name wasn’t enough, Rajasthan education minister Vasudev Devnani alluded to the Mughal emperor being a terrorist. Devnani made the reference while responding to the alleged threat he received for changing the name of Akbar Qila (fort) to Ajmer Qila. Speaking to journalists outside the state assembly on Friday, Devnani said he was a nationalist and wherever places were named after terrorists, he makes an effort to change them.
“Jo Ajmer mein Akbar ka qila hai, use maine Ajmer ka qila kehne ke liye kaha tha…kyunki mai ek rashtravadi hoon aur us aadhaar pe, jahan jahan bhi aatank kariyon ke naam hain..usmein job hi niyamanusar sanshodhan kiya ja sakta hai wo kiye jayein iska maine aagrah kiya,” Devnani said.
Uske alawa, Ajmer mein bhi kai mudde uthtay hain jin pe main rashtriya drishtikon rakhta hoon…is liye mujhe lagta hai aisa letter kisi ne likha,” he said.
(I had asked the Akbar fort in Ajmer to be renamed to Ajmer fort…because I’m a nationalist and on that basis wherever there are names of terrorists…whatever changes are possible in that as per the rules, I requested for that. Besides that, several issues are raised in Ajmer about which I have a nationalistic perspective. I feel perhaps that is why I feel somebody wrote that kind of a letter to me.)
When asked about it, the minister said he had used the word invader, not terrorist. “I never said aatank kari, I used the word aakranta (invader) and well Akbar had invaded India…that’s why we removed chapters that called him great“And it is true that I am a nationalist…On July 23rd, last year, a man on a scooter hit me on the road and ran…I fractured a leg. And now this letter; I wonder if there is any connection between the two incidents. It is for the police to decide,” he added.
Devnani also reiterated on Friday his assertion about Maharana Pratap winning the battle of Haldighati. “Leftists have distorted India’s history. If Akbar had indeed won against Maharana Pratap, why did he wage war against Pratap six more times? History has been saying Akbar was great, when research done till now proves that Maharana Pratap was great,” Devnani said, while releasing a special ‘battle of Haldighati’ edition of Jaipur based RSS affiliated magazine Pathey Kan.
Rajasthan Education Minister Vasudev Devnani
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