All school textbooks glorifying Akbar will be burnt: Rajasthan education minister

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Sunday said all school textbooks glorifying Mughal emperor Akbar and referring to him as great "will be burnt". The minister's statement came during his visit to Udaipur, where he was addressing a gathering during an event in the Vivekanand Auditorium of Mohanlal Sukhadia University. He said comparing Akbar with Maharana Pratap is an insult to the Rajput warrior king and the pride of Rajasthan.

He referred to Maharana Pratap as people's protector, who never accepted to bow down, while Akbar got many people killed for his own gains. So, calling Akbar "great" is an act of foolishness, he added. Dilawar said there was no bigger enemy to the Mewar region and Rajasthan than those who praised Akbar in their school textbooks and called him "great".

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The minister said, "We have seen the books of all classes. We have not found it (mention of Akbar as great) in the books yet. If it is there, then all the books will be burnt." Maharana Pratap was a legendary Rajput warrior king of Mewar, renowned for his unwavering bravery and resistance against the Mughal Empire, especially in the Battle of Haldighati fought in 1576.