British rulers left India not due to satyagraha but after they saw arms in people's hands: Bihar Guv
Panaji, Dec 20: Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar on Friday said British rulers left India not because of 'satyagraha', but when they saw arms in native people's hands and realised that they can go to any extent.
Referring to the Portuguese inquisition of Goa, he said it is time a true perspective about history is brought to light without being afraid of anyone.
Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) had set up a narrative that you are born to be slaves and the then government also supported it, Arlekar alleged without naming the Congress-led dispensations.
He was speaking at the "A Brief History of Freedom Struggle in North East of India (1498 to 1947)" book authored by Anandita Singh.
In his half-an-hour-long speech, Arlekar, who hails from Goa, said, "What is Goa inquisition? What is that exactly? If we try to bring it out, then some people in Goa get upset. They feel pain."
"Are we not supposed to tell what your roots are? Some people get upset if we try to tell them from where you belong to, where are your roots. Why should it be?" he said.
We have to speak out without being afraid of anyone, he added.
"Those who invaded us can never be ours. That is why it is necessary to bring out our perspective," he said.
Arlekar, a former Goa legislative assembly speaker, said if people from places like Guwahati are here telling us their history, why don't Goans write the true history of the land.
"The invaders tried to create a narrative. The Indian freedom movement was not without arms. They did not leave India because of 'satyagraha'. But when they saw arms in our hands and they realised that we can go to any extent, then they decided to leave the country," the Bihar governor added.
Arlekar appealed that we should go through the speeches of MPs in the British Parliament during that time, which clearly speaks about the armed struggle.
"They (MPs) have not just mentioned about satyagraha, but were also mentioning about the armed struggle which made Britishers realise that it is time they should leave India," he said.
Satyagraha was a method of peaceful resistance used by Mahatma Gandhi against British rule.
Referring to the Indian history written in books, Arlekar said that the ICHR has set up a narrative that you are born to be slaves.
"Unfortunately, the then government (of the Congress) also supported their narrative. This was a very sad part of the beginning of our Independence," he said.
Arlekar said, "We are being told that Indians are very bad in upkeep of historical evidence. That is not true."
"Our evidence was destroyed by you people. But still we have evidence. We should make it a basis and there is a need to bring out the true history of Goa. In the days to come, the true history of Goa would be revealed," he added.
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UP: Tehsildar's vehicle hits biker, drags body for 30 km
Bahraich(UP), Dec 20: A government vehicle belonging to the tehsildar of Nanpara hit a biker and allegedly dragged his body for 30 kilometers.
The victim, identified as Narendra Kumar Haldar (35), a resident of Payagpur, was returning home when the accident occurred on the Nanpara-Bahraich road on Thursday evening. According to police, Haldar's body got entangled in the vehicle and was dragged for the entire distance, reaching the Nanpara Tehsil.
Naib Tehsildar Shailesh Kumar Awasthi, who is believed to be present in the vehicle at the time of the accident, has been recommended for suspension by District Magistrate Monika Rani. The vehicle's driver, Meraj Ahmed, has been arrested. Superintendent of Police Vrinda Shukla confirmed the incident and said, "It was confirmed that the body was dragged for 30 kilometers to Nanpara when the locations of the deceased Narendra Haldar and the tehsildar's driver Meraj Ahmed were tracked at the time of the accident."
Stating that the incident was a "big negligence", the officer added, "It is very unlikely that a body was stuck in the vehicle for 30 kilometers and no one came to know about it. It is possible that the vehicle was not stopped due to fear."
The officer said that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the accident. "Police are examining CCTV footage along the 30-kilometer route to reconstruct the sequence of events," said the SP.
In the police complaint lodge regarding the matter, the family members of the deceased have mentioned the vehicle of the tehsildar, police said.
District Magistrate Monika Rani said, "The matter of a car colliding with a bike came to notice. The Naib Tehsildar of Nanpara had come to Bahraich in the Tehsildar's car for some work and was returning to Nanpara. It has been learnt that a dead body got stuck with his car that drove till Nanpara Tehsil. According to the naib tehsildar, he was not aware of it. A recommendation has been made to suspend the naib tehsildar who was in the car."
