Historians likely to resist `saffronisation’

The resolution is expected to be moved despite the fact that the Union Government today released a grant of Rs 2 lakh for the Congress after facing criticism from the organisers for the delay. A sum of Rs 1 lakh which was due as the money spent for hosting the last year’s Congress had been released only last week. A fax message announcing the release of grant was received at the office of the Punjabi University Vice Chancellor today.

Although Shireen said she wanted to thank the government for the grant, but that this does not affect the resolution. However, their are some participants who said that the threat of the resolution prompted the government to pay the money, and hence it is not needed. While avoiding any reference to Union Minister for Human Resource Development Murli Manohar Joshi and the BJP government, she clearly said, “A resolution on what is currently happening in history is called for”.

Eminent historian Irfan Habib, who has been embroiled in a controversy with Murli Manohar Joshi, regretted that the present dispensation is measuring every historical fact with two parameters, one of Hindu-Muslim relations and the other of glorification of the past. The attempt to move the resolution will, however, face opposition from within as their are many historians who are favorably inclined towards the present dispensation, while their are others who are likely to question the introduction of the resolution, he added.

Controversy and resolution are not new to the History Congress which had passed a resolution earlier when text books of history written by eminent historians were burnt by political activists. According to convention, any private member can also move a resolution even if it is rejected by the executive body. However such a resolution carries a note that it has been rejected by the executive earlier. Meanwhile after a gap of many years, the media will be allowed to watch the general body meeting.