PM, HM set out to become historians but became ‘distorians’: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: Congress Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that the ongoing debates in Parliament have highlighted that there is too little historical understanding in Indian politics and too much political manipulation of history.

Ramesh called out Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other leaders from the ruling party, claiming they set out to be historians but instead became “distorians”.

During the discussion commemorating the 150th anniversary of the composition of ‘Vande Mataram’, Ramesh said, “The debates in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have shown that we have far too little history in our politics and far too much politics in our history. The Prime Minister, Home Minister, and others from the treasury benches aimed to be historians but have become ‘distorians’.”

He reiterated the arguments made by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, emphasising that it was the collective decision of the Congress Working Committee — comprising leaders like Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Rabindranath Tagore, and Jawaharlal Nehru — to use the current version of Vande Mataram.

Ramesh questioned whether, when the Centre accuses Nehru of “appeasement”, it is also accusing all other leaders, too.

He further said that the government is not only “insulting” Nehru, but also Rabindranath Tagore.

“What is this government doing? Bankim Chandra Chatterjee vs Rabindranath Tagore? This is not just an insult to Nehru but also to Rabindranath Tagore,” he said.

The Congress leader said that the Centre’s move to hold the discussion on Vande Mataram was only aimed at “insulting” Jawaharlal Nehru.

“When they insult Nehru, they are insulting everybody who fought during the freedom struggle,” he said.

Continuing his speech, he quoted a book titled ‘Equality’, authored by Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, which contains a translation of ‘Samya’ by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.

He pointed out that in the book, Chatterjee identifies the caste system as the biggest problem facing the country.

“When we speak of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, we should also remember this aspect of him,” Ramesh added.

IANS