The decision of removing specific content from school books was initiated by Rajasthan State Board last year. Content on foreign icons were replaced by the ones written on India in the English module of schools across the state.
A few days back, HRD Minister Irani raised questions in the Parliament about the content in a class 4 teacher’s handbook and perhaps people have taken a page from her book..
On Wednesday, the hashtag #RemoveMughalsFromBooks, was one of the top trends of Twitter. The topic of the debate was whether Mughal history should be celebrated or taught to our children in schools or not.
The central argument of those in favour of removing Mughals from history, was that Mughal rulers looted and plundered Indian lands, destroyed Hindu temples and monuments, and converted thousands of Hindus. Sanghi twitterati rallied around this argument and pushed for replacement of Mughal history with stories of ‘real heroes’, as some of them put it.
Apparently, someone has taken cue from that to start #RemoveMughalsFromBooks on Twitter which is drawing a huge number of response, not only in the context of ‘Mughals’ but also on communal lines.
Here are some of the tweets
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks In Jehangir’s time, Sufis pushd for starting Cow Slaughtr, as a means of humiliatng Hindus. pic.twitter.com/rGVgmT9jaI
— Narendra Modi Fan (@Narendramodi_G) March 1, 2016
Dirty politics of INC -5 cls CBSE books teaching kids tat Godhra massacre ws done by Hindus#RemoveMughalsFromBooks pic.twitter.com/zdzOoyR2X0
— Mahesh Vikram Hegde (@mvmeet) March 1, 2016
Some well-known Twitterati had to say this
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks is nonsensical. Every regime in India before we became democratic was autocratic. It’s still our heritage.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 2, 2016
Am stunned people are trending #RemoveMughalsFromBooks. They are part of our heritage. Just like Parliament House and India Gate.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 2, 2016
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks – and also pages
— Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) March 2, 2016
That’s what happens when u have a person with dubious records as the PM and as HRD minister. #RemoveMughalsFromBooks
— Tehseen Poonawalla (@tehseenp) March 2, 2016
And then some sarcasm
We can #RemoveMughalsFromBooks and just tell our future generations that the documents dating from 1526 to 1707 were stolen by Umar Khalid!
— Ratnpriya Mishra (@jimmy9_girl) March 2, 2016
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks why don’t they add these true freedom fighters who fought tirelessly against Britishers? 👇 pic.twitter.com/rTts7m0YsB
— मुह़म्मद ثاقب (@sqbahmad) March 2, 2016
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks We hoist our Tricolor atop Red Fort twice a year, was built by a ______ (read blank) emperor.
— Shozib A. (@ShozibSays) March 2, 2016
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks also remove Trigonometry n calculus from maths. WTF next you #RemoveBooksFromSchools. stfu chaddi
— Mihir Patel (@_MihirPatel7) March 2, 2016
Some serious allegations
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks ये भी इतिहास है की अकबर ने तुलसीदास को क़ैद किया |
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah_BJP) March 1, 2016
#RemoveMughalsFromBooks अकबर ने एकलिंग की मूर्ति तोड़ी और उस स्थान पर नमाज पढ़ी |
— वन्दे मातरम् Namo (@ibhagwa_n) March 1, 2016
इन्होने हमारे मंदिर लूटे तोड़े मस्जिद बनाई औरतों को अपने हवस का शिकार बनाया #RemoveMughalsFromBooks
— Pankaj Jain (@ahinsaproperty) March 2, 2016
And then there were concerns as well
If u try to distort history,nothing will happen to history but it will distort your future. #RemoveMughalsFromBooks https://t.co/pQm0gnV6bR
— Truth Seeker (@MBhushaan) March 2, 2016
But never ever ever even try to ban Mughal Cuisines #RemoveMughalsFromBooks
— Shah Rukh Bhakt. (@iSwarnendu) March 2, 2016