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Akbar was 'The Great', Maharana Pratap was 'The Great of Greats': Rajnath
Union home minister Rajnath Singh endorsed the Rajasthan government's move to introduce erstwhile Mewar ruler Maharana Pratap as someone greater than Mughal emperor Akbar in the state's school curriculum.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh endorsed the Rajasthan government's move to introduce erstwhile Mewar ruler Maharana Pratap as someone greater than Mughal emperor Akbar in the state's school curriculum.
Singh said Akbar was "The Great" but Maharana was "The Great of Greats".
"I have no objection in calling Akbar as 'The Great' but what objection can be there to accept Maharana Pratap as the 'Great of Greats' is beyond my comprehension," he said while addressing a gathering after unveiling a statue of Maharana Pratap at Dhariwad road in Pratapgarh district on Sunday.
The event was organised to celebrate Maharana Pratap's 475th birth anniversary.
Hailing chief minister Vasundhara Raje for the decision to introduce a chapter on Maharana Pratap in the school curriculum, Singh said he would talk to union human resource development minister Smriti Irani about introducing chapters on other such famous personalities in the Central Board of Secondary Education's syllabus.
Last month, state education minister Vasudev Devnani had said that Maharana Pratap was "the real Great" and not Akbar, sparking a controversy.
He had proposed to introduce a chapter on the ruler in the school curriculum, which was viewed by his political rivals as a move to belittle Akbar.
The education department has formed a committee to look into the issue but the report is awaited.
"I feel Maharana's true valuation has not been done in the history the way it should have been," Rajnath Singh said.
The minister said the warrior's 475th birth anniversary would be celebrated across the country and in foreign shores by non-resident Indians.
The state government has declared Maharana Pratap Jayanthi (May 20) as a holiday.
The Uttar Pradesh government has declared May 9 (Maharana Pratap's birth anniversary) as a public holiday.
Maharana Pratap became the ruler of Mewar when he was 32.
He ruled the region from 1572 to 1597.
He took on Akbar's forces and challenged his army through his guerilla warfare techniques.
(With inputs from Mahesh Agarwal in Bhilwara)
