The Politics Around Maharana Pratap In Rajasthan

The controversy over Maharana Pratap and the Rajasthan politics are inseparable. Once again the opposition BJP and the ruling Congress are lashing out at each other over the battle of Haldighati that was fought between Akbar and Maharana Pratap in the 16th century.

This time the opposition BJP has sought an apology from the state congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra for his remarks against Maharana Pratap that the fight between Maharana Pratap and Akbar was for power. Giving the statement a religious colour, the former education minister and BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani on Friday called Dotasara's statement an insult to the warrior. "The Congress is doing politics of appeasement and stating wrong facts about a warrior who sacrificed his life to protect the pride of the motherland - Mewar", reads the statement released by Devnani.

"The Congress government is doing a constant conspiracy to weaken the glorious past of great men including Maharana. Lest we forget how Gandhi has praised Maharana Pratap’s bravery at the Round Table Conference in London and Vietnam and mentioned taking inspiration from the battle of Haldighati," Devnani added.

Other than Devnani, Rajasthan BJP chief Satish Poonia and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, too, have demanded an apology from the Congress party.

"Congress is known for spreading lies. It is a known fact that the battle of Haldighati was fought for the honour of the country,” Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia told the media on Friday.

"The battle between Akbar and Maharana Pratap was not a power clash but a clash for national security,” tweeted Vasundhara Raje, who demanded an apology from Congress for insulting Maharana Pratap.

Reacting to the statements made by the opposition BJP, Dotasara wrote on Twitter, "No one is doubting the greatness of Maharana Pratap. He was and will also remain great. But by mentioning in the school textbooks that the battle of Haldighati was a Hindu-Muslim, the BJP has spread fake narrative and poison among children which should be condemned".

On Thursday, while addressing a meeting with the party workers in Nagaur district in Rajasthan, Dotasra accused BJP of seeing everything through the Hindu-Muslim religious point of view. He said, "The fight between Akbar and Maharana Pratap was a struggle for power but the BJP gave it a religious colour and said it was a religious fight between Maharana Pratap and Akbar."

This is not the first time that a controversy has erupted between the two parties over Maharana Pratap. In 2021, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had removed plaques in Rajsamand, which mentioned that Rajputs forces had to retreat during Maharana Pratap’s battle with Mughal emperor Akbar in 1576. People from the Rajput community took offence following which politicians like BJP MP from Rajsamand, Diya Kumari, also raised the issue and cornered Congress.

In another instance in April 2021, Congress had slammed the former home minister and members of the Karni Sena (Rajput outfit) had smeared ink on his poster displayed outside the BJP office after his controversial video, with 'wrong facts' about Maharana Pratap, went viral on social media. Following the backlash, he had to release an apology video.

A major controversy over the Haldigathi fight began in 2017, when during the BJP regime, the Rajasthan University's history department revised the history textbooks by writing that the war of Haldigathi remained inconclusive between Akbar and Maharana Pratap.

In 2018 when Congress came to power in its first cabinet meeting, the Rajasthan government led by Ashok Gehlot decided to undo the revision in the textbooks by the BJP calling it an 'attempt to saffronise history'.

The BJP, in its tenure, had made several changes in the textbooks including dropping the name of Jawaharlal Nehru from the state board's Class 8 syllabus and that Akbar lost his traditional title of ''Great'', which was given to the person who fought battles against Maharana Pratap.  

Maharana Pratap was the Rajput ruler of Mewar in Rajasthan, who fought the battle of Haldighati with the forces of Mughal emperor Akbar, led by Man Singh- I of Amber, in 1576.