NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday lamented that India’s history books have done injustice to some heroes of the freedom struggle as post-independence narratives were “manipulated” to credit only select individuals. He said that it was imperative to present “unvarnished” historical accounts to ignite patriotic fervour in future generations.

The Vice President also called on farmers to work for the resolution of problems through dialogue and understanding. Addressing an event here to mark the 138th birth anniversary celebration of Raja Mahendra Pratap, he said the country cannot nurture its history by bestowing “indulgent, sycophant, credit rating to those who played a role, of course, but not the role which others played. We cannot allow our heroes to be downsized.” Referring to farmers, Vice President Dhankhar said, “We have to remember that we don’t fight with our own people”.

“How can one sleep when the problems of farmers are not being resolved promptly?” he said. He underlined that an irretrievable confrontational stance is poor diplomacy. Dhankhar said, “Our history has been manipulated and doctored, created a monopoly of few that they gained us independence.

“It is unbearable pain on our conscience. It’s a burden on our soul and heart.” He said it was a travesty of justice that we have “miserably failed” to recognise such heroic feats of great men like Mahendra Pratap.

“If you look at the foundations of our independence, we have been taught very differently. Foundations of our independence are built upon supreme sacrifices of the people like Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh and other unsung heroes or not-so-well-sung heroes,” he said.