Rewriting history with the help of the Sangh Parivar-backed historians is a priority of the HRD ministry, CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat alleged on Friday.
Karat's comments come amidst reports that historians linked to the RSS, ABVP and critics of the Left have been included in the new 18-member team of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) -- the country's apex body of historical research.
"The Human Resource Development Ministry (HRD) has prioritised its project to rewrite history through the eyes of the Sangh Parivar. For that, they are choosing those who are committed to the sectarian RSS view of history," Karat said.
"The only qualification for them is that they should have the certificate from Nagpur," she said.
Karat alleged that the development in ICHR -- an autonomous body under the HRD ministry -- and in some higher educational institutes was a reflection of the method used by the Bharatiya Janata Party to subvert the autonomy of the institutions.
"The appointment they have made shows that it is not academic excellences which is the criteria for their choice, but commitment to the RSS ideology," Karat said.
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The CPI(M) leader added that during the BJP-led NDA-I, too, there were attempts by the HRD ministry to appoint RSS-leaning academics in such institutes.
Describing the ministry's move as "highly detrimental" to the standard of academic research, she said it would affect the credibility of Indian academics globally.