West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday dubbed attempts to distort history a "crime" and said it was a "political vendetta".
"I am always in favour of historians... and truth. Truth must prevail. To distort the history and fabricate facts is a big crime," Banerjee said at the 78th Indian History Congress.
Speaking about the "tendency to rewrite history", she alleged it was a political vendetta.
"... what for our scholars and historians? If we don't see the past, how do we calculate the future.
"If you start rewriting history in the name of political vendetta what will happen to future generations," she asked.
Banerjee acknowledged the apprehensions expressed by a section of historians on the "distortion of history".
"History is the truth. It touches our heart. You cannot distort recorded history. I know historians are unhappy. I know the present situation. We must respect our federal structure and Constitution. Truth will always remain truth," she added.
Stressing that it is not a "one party rule", she spoke of a "calculated motive" in the attempts to distort history.
"I feel sad when I see that rewriting is going on. It is a calculative motive when we see that Mahatma Gandhi may not be (portrayed as) a patriot but Godse is a patriot," she added.
--IANS
sgh/him/bg
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