At the 80th session of Indian History Congress in Kannur, the Marxist historian Irfan Habib had shamefully tried to physically disrupt Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan‘s speech.
Speaking at the occasion, Habib had made some comments on Citizen Amendment Act. In response, when Governor’s turn to address those points came, the marxist historian tried indulging in shameful conduct of physically stopping him from speaking.
Habib had objected to Khan quoting Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Mahatma Gandhi’s promise to give citizenship to persecuted minorities coming from Pakistan, but not only asked him to quote Nathuram Godse, but also pushed his ADC and security officer, breaching security norms.
Such a disruptive behavior Habib comes as no surprise. Archaeologist KK Muhammad, in his autobiography, gives accounts of Habib’s intolerance towards those who disagreed with him.
He also gives accounts of how Habib and his left-liberal cabal caused damage to the careers of many students and professionals. If someone was party to his group, he was called a secular, if not branded communal.
Muhammed also alleged that Habib tried to give eminent position in Aligarh Muslim University to those who flattered him. He tried to make Professor Makkan Lal as the deputy director, ignoring him.
Lal became Habib’s ally, but the alliance was short lived. Soon, both were on the opposite sides in Babri Masjid dispute, Muhammed said.
The archaeologist also wrote that Habib tried to stall his selection as Deputy Superintending Archaeologist at ASI. Habib tried to get rejected Muhammed’s appointment by personally meeting the Director General of ASI, who did not enjoy such powers.
However, he succeeded in requesting the DG not to post Muhammed in Agra, fearful if he discovers something, which does not fall in Marxist’s agenda.
Habib also tried to bar Muhammed from visiting AMU, but failed. However, his cabal successfully barred him from visiting Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Hence, Habib training at Kerala Governor is no surprise.
Habib, More A Propagandist Than A Historian
Muhammed also blamed Habib and his Marxist cabal for brainwashing Muslim intelligentsia by arguing that there was no record of demolishing of the temple before 19th century and Ayodhya was a Bhudhist-Jain centre. Otherwise, Babri dispute would have been settled long ago.
The Supreme Court also dismissed their report on Ram Temple as mere opinion because it lacked the benefit of the archaeological evidence.
“Had this report really been prepared after studying the data collected through an archaeological excavation by ASI (about the possible existence of a temple below the mosque), it could have had some meaning to it. But these historians have not examined the ASI data. The methodology they have adopted appears to be perfunctory, as was termed by (Allahabad) High Court,” the Supreme Court had said.
Muhammed also mentions in his book that Habib is not an archaeologist, does not know Farsi, Sanskrit and other ancient Indian languages, which is very important data to write Indian history in right perspective.
Habib belongs to the Nehruvian state apparatus, who understood historical interpretation as a mechanism for creating a ‘secular’ society in which religious persecution of Hindus in medieval India had to be eradicated in order to crush the emergence of alternative ‘right wing’ movements, which could potentially upset the hegemony of the Congress and its dominant narrative.
Therefore historians like Habib, whose father and grand parents were CPI and Congress cardholders, revised history to create new narratives of magnificent, progressive and tolerant Mughal ages with minimal emphasis on excesses against its Hindu subjects and institutions.
So, one can easily label Habib and his cabal as propagandists, than historians.