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Communist Party of India to 'counter' official history of India's independence

NEW DELHI -- To counter the official version of history, the CPI(M) [Community Party of India] has decided to trace the events from 1857 Sepoy Mutinee to India's independence through party organs like 'People's Democracy'.

The party, supporting the UPA [United Progress Alliance, the ruling] coalition from outside, also asked the government today to take "corrective measures" to portray the people's participation in the freedom struggle -- ranging from the Battle of Plassey 250 years ago, the major peasant and tribal uprisings, the Indian National Army and the 1946 Naval mutiny, senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.

Launching the first special issue of 'People's Democracy', its editor Yechury said the history of India's freedom struggle was more relevant today than ever before. "Like the British killed the two sons of the last Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and sent him to Burma to die, we now see US imperialism first killing the two sons and then President Saddam Hussain of Iraq. The manner in which these two incidents happened shows that the ruthless functioning of imperialism has not changed since then", he said...

The CPI(M) leader said the British had suppressed the history of the happenings of 1857 and the people should be made aware of the huge amount of information on all these events available from different sections.

Asked about the observation of 'Satyagraha' by the Congress party, Yechury said "if the Congress wants to monopolise Satyagraha, it is their business. But it should be a national observation.
Read entire article at Press Trust of India