Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar on Tuesday labeled Mughal emperor Akbar as a "rapist, invader, and looter" during a discussion on the demand for grants for the Education Department in the state Assembly.
Dilawar expressed his discontent over historical narratives taught in schools, saying, “It pains us to see how they tried to belittle Maharana Pratap while glorifying Akbar, who used to set up ‘meena bazaars’. Calling him ‘great’ was an insult to the nation and its great men. This cannot be tolerated.”
His remarks sparked objections from some MLAs, to which Dilawar retorted, “Akbar aapka kya lagta hai? (Who is Akbar to you?).” He further accused Mughal emperor Aurangzeb of atrocities against Hindus, claiming that he “killed countless Hindus, demolished hundreds of temples, and imposed jizya tax.” The minister also criticized the portrayal of Taimur in textbooks, stating that describing the invader as "great" was entirely inappropriate.
This is not the first time Dilawar has made such remarks. In February last year, he had asserted that “to take Akbar’s name in India is a sin.” At the time, he had claimed, “When we were in school, we read that Akbar was great. But I have also heard that he set up ‘meena bazaars’, picked up beautiful girls and women, and raped them.”
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Jaipur Literature Festival this year omitted the ‘Mughal Tent,’ replacing it with a food court while introducing a new hall named ‘Surya Mahal.’