Without Savarkar, 1857 Mutiny would have remained a revolt: Shah

Varanasi, Oct 17 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that had it not been for Veer Savarkar, India wouldn't have known the importance of the 1857 Mutiny.

"The Mutiny of 1857 would have remained a revolt as the British had called it. It was Veer Savarkar who gave it the name of the first war of independence," said Shah.

He underlined the fact that history needed to be re-written so that the real facts could be placed before the nation.

Shah's statement assumes significance in view of the fact that the Maharashtra BJP, in its manifesto for the 2019 Assembly polls, has promised to urge the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on Veer Savarkar whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi counts as one of his idols.

Shah is also an ardent follower of Savarkar and even has an image of the revolutionary in his drawing room.

Addressing a seminar on 'Guptvanshak Veer' at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on Thursday, Shah asked historians to stop blaming the British and the Left and rewrite correct history based on facts.

"There are over 200 great leaders, who have not been given their due in history. We should not get into a debate on what has been written but focus on what should be written. When Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya established the Banaras Hindu University, there was a thought behind it. Even today this institution is promoting Indian culture," he said.

Shah further said that Chandragupta Maurya is a famous historical figure but he did not get the honour he deserved.

"His valour was not sufficiently appreciated. The period of Maurya dynasty and Gupta dynasty has been downplayed in history. This needs to be corrected," he said.

The Minister said India extended up to Afghanistan during the reign of Skandgupta and this was its golden era in terms of arts.

"Literature, military, culture, art were world class and we should acknowledge it. The country got best astrologers during this period and India was freed of invaders from Kashmir to Kandhahar. We need to establish the contribution of Skandgupta in our history," he said.