MP minister calls reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy a ‘British Agent’; apologises
Shajapur (MP) (PTI): Madhya Pradesh Minister and BJP leader Inder Singh Parmar has triggered a row by calling social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, an "agent of the British" who started a "vicious cycle of religious conversion".
After facing outrage for his comment, the state Higher Education Minister on Sunday issued an apology, claiming it was a "slip of the tongue".
Parmar made the controversial comment during an event held in Agar Malwa district on the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda on
"Rajaram Mohan Roy was a British agent. He worked in the country as their 'dalal', and started a vicious cycle of religious conversion," he said in his address.
The British had projected several people as "fake social reformers" and promoted those who encouraged conversions, he claimed.
"If anyone had the courage to stop this and protect the tribal community, it was Birsa Munda," he said, adding that missionary schools were the only educational institutions during the British rule and education was used as a cover for religious conversion.
The minister said that Munda had recognised this trend, left missionary education, and fought for his community and against British rule.
Following criticism for his comments about Roy, Parmar, in a video statement, said the remark "came out by mistake".
"Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a social reformer, and he should be respected. The sentence slipped out of my mouth by mistake, and I am very sad about it. I apologise for it," he said.
The minister said he did not intend to insult any historical figure.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy was born on May 22, 1772, in Radhanagar, Bengal, in an orthodox Brahmin family.
Known as the father of the Indian Renaissance, he ushered in an era of enlightenment and liberal reformist modernisation in India.
प्रसिद्ध समाज सुधारक श्री राजा राम मोहन राय जी ने अपने काल में समाज सुधार का बहुत काम किया है।
— इन्दरसिंह परमार (@Indersinghsjp) November 16, 2025
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
