Congress govt revises textbooks in Rajasthan, removes 'Veer' prefix from freedom activist Savarkar's name in History books

Rewriting textbooks has been like a trend of successive governments to present a historical narrative best suited to their political interests. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in the state of Rajasthan made changes to school textbooks of the state board very recently. 

The Rajasthan board of secondary education (RBSE) textbooks, rewritten under the Vasundhara Raje-led BJP in 2017 to glorify the Modi government and enforce its Hindutva ideology, have been revised and modified once again under the state’s ruling government.

While the new textbooks have not eliminated all mentions of the Modi government, several controversial sections have been dropped or modified. These include the parts on demonetisation, Vinayak Savarkar, the battle of Haldighati, Article 370, a uniform civil code, the ‘appeasement’ of the minorities, religious conversions and about the right-wing Hindu nationalist groups.

According to several reports, among these changes, the prefix ‘veer’ was removed from the name of freedom activist and right-wing ‘Hindutva’ ideology proponent, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, from a chapter on the freedom movement in the textbooks.

The changes pertain to the chapter on the freedom fighter in Class XII's History book. The new book describes how Savarkar after being tortured by British in jail, called himself 'son of Portugal' on November 14, 1911, and later sent out three more mercy petitions to the British.