Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar has sparked a major political controversy after he claimed that nineteenth century reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy worked as a British agent.
Parmar made the remarks during a Birsa Munda Jayanti event in Agar Malwa. He said Roy acted in the interest of the British and helped divide Indian society on caste lines. He also claimed that Bengal was facing a wave of religious conversions encouraged by English education at the time, and that the British had influenced several Indian reformers. According to him, it was Birsa Munda who broke this cycle and protected tribal society and identity.
The Congress reacted strongly. Party spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said the comments were shameful and questioned Parmar’s knowledge of history. Gupta asked whether the abolition of Sati too should be seen as a form of British brokerage. He said those who call others agents today should reflect on their own claims.
Parmar has been at the centre of similar controversies before. He earlier said that India was not discovered by Vasco da Gama but by a merchant named Chandan, claiming that students had been taught the wrong version of history. He made that remark at a university convocation and accused the official historical narrative of being distorted.
The Higher Education Minister was also criticised after his department ordered government and private colleges to stock eighty eight specific books in their libraries. Many of the authors are linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, including former senior RSS leader Suresh Soni who wrote three of the books.
When he served as the School Education Minister, Parmar said only lies had been taught in India. He accused historians of rewriting history and portraying foreign explorers as heroes. He also suggested that agents were placed in India before and after independence to shape the country’s understanding of its own past.
