Reporter’s Diary: BJP big-wig’s quotes rewrite history all over again

Addressing a gathering of people in Chennai who were predominantly Hindi speaking, the senior BJP minister called Moghuls and British rulers ‘aggressors’ who had spoiled the education system of the country. The HRD minister also claimed that the country accounted for a third of the world trade when education and innovation flourished in Nalanda and Taxila Universities well over a millennium ago. The comment left a few informed members of the audience murmuring, “Did India exist then? Is there any documentary proof to establish his claim? He could have chosen some other example to inspire confidence,” they said. 

An unstoppable Javadekar went on to add that India’s education system was the best in the world and it was only after the rule of aggressors like Moghuls and Brits that the system here deteriorated, leaving Indian institutions trailing much behind their international rivals in terms of research and innovation. Some in the audience immediately commented that the BJP leader’s points of reference were a bit outdated, as Nalanda and Taxila flourished in the 5th and 6th century BC, while the Moghul dynasty started only from the 16th century.