In his 21 March address in the Upper House, Suman said, “BJP leaders often claim that Muslims have DNA of Babur. However, Indian Muslims do not consider Babur their ideal … Who brought Babur to India? It was Rana Sanga who invited him to defeat Ibrahim Lodi. By that logic, if you claim Muslims are descendants of Babur, you are also the descendants of Rana Sanga, a traitor. We criticise Babur, but not Rana Sanga.”
Speaking on the issue when the protests had just erupted, the Dalit leader had said, “I will not apologise as long as I am alive.”
Hailing from the Sisodia dynasty, Rana Sanga became the king of Mewar, ruling parts of present-day Rajasthan, Gujarat, and MP. According to Babur’s memoirs—Baburnama—Rana Sanga invited him to Delhi, but historian Jadunath Sarkar refutes this.
The controversy comes days after the communal clashes in Maharashtra over the legacy of 17th-century Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, who beheaded Sambhaji Maharaj, marking a watershed moment in Maratha-Mughal relations. Now, the ruling BJP and the opposition parties, particularly the SP, are squabbling over the historical versions of Rajput-Mughal relations, with their eye on the Rajput and Dalit voters in northern India.
Uproar in House: ‘Disrespected national hero’
As the Rajya Sabha proceedings resumed Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “In this House, one of our heroes has been insulted. We ask if Congress and other parties agree because this isn’t about one MP. Ramji Lal Suman’s remark was expunged from the House record but is still available on social media. How can anyone accept that?” Rijiju said. “Any member can not disrespect any hero from any caste” he added, calling on the INDIA bloc to condemn the remarks publicly.
Radha Mohan Agarwal, the BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, said, “This issue could have been resolved on the same day if he (Suman) had apologised. But despite the expunged remarks, he stated that he would not apologise as long as he is alive. This shows the INDIA bloc’s mentality, with the Leader of Opposition (LoP) linking the issue to the Dalit identity of the MP. This is an effort to politicise the matter … Until Suman apologises, we will not let the issue end.”
Defending Suman, LoP Mallikarjun Kharge said, “I respect patriots such as Maharana Pratap and Rana Sanga, who fought for the country. However, if there is a difference of opinion among historians, it does not give anyone the right to bulldoze and vandalise someone’s house.”
“The Indian Constitution does not allow this kind of vandalism. Protesters cannot take the law into their hands … We strongly oppose any violence against Dalits,” he added.
Rijiju then questioned Kharge’s linking of the MP’s statement with his caste. “Why are you stressing his caste? Any violence by any organisation is unjustifiable. But, this is about a reckless comment disrespecting a national hero, and the member should apologise unconditionally.”
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal condemned Kharge’s attempts to twist the issue by bringing caste into the matter. “This is more condemnable, especially since the concerned member (Suman) has repeatedly made his statement outside the House.”
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar also condemned the statement, saying, “It is more concerning that despite the expunged remarks, they are still circulating on social media. This is a grave issue. We should establish provisions to address such matters, and the ethics committee should look into it.”
BJP’s Rajput strategy & Akhilesh’s PDA politics
As the BJP increases the pressure for an apology from Ramji Lal Suman, the INDIA bloc, particularly the SP, has focussed on the attack on the Dalit MP’s house.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Akhilesh Yadav’s SP and the Congress successfully consolidated the PDA (Pasmanda, Dalit, and Adivasi) votes in Uttar Pradesh, helping them secure 37 LS seats in the state, while the BJP’s seats dropped from 62 to 33. The attack on Suman presents an opportunity for Akhilesh to further consolidate Dalit votes.
After Karni Sena ransacked Suman’s house in Agra, SP senior leaders Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Yadav reached the site to show solidarity with Suman’s family.
“The attack was pre-planned. The administration was aware of it. The Chief Minister [Yogi Adityanath] was nearby, and the attackers came with sticks and bulldozers, but nobody stopped them. This shows the CM was complicit, and it is an attack on the PDA. After Eid, our party will launch protests on this issue,” Ram Gopal Yadav said.
Earlier on Sunday, party chief Akhilesh, endorsing Suman’s remarks, said, “Everyone is flipping through pages of history. Ask BJP leaders which pages they are turning. They want to talk about Aurangzeb, but if Ramji Lal Suman referred to another page of history containing certain facts, what’s the issue? We did not write history 200 years ago.”
The row also presents an opportunity for the BJP. Leading leaders are now protesting the “humiliation” of the Rajput icon. Since Rajputs constitute nearly six percent of the population in Rajasthan, making them a dominant force, the BJP’s protests are particularly loud in the state.
“Rana Sanga had 80 wounds on his body when he fought Babur, but today, he was humiliated. It’s like throwing mud at the sky,” former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said. “Maharana Sanga is an immortal warrior. The objectionable comments about the country’s pride and invincible warrior are highly condemnable. He was injured in battle but did not lose his courage,” she added.
The BJP’s position in Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are due in 2027, will also be impacted by what is unfolding. The party faced significant losses in the Lok Sabha election due to the alienation of Dalits and backward castes. Meanwhile, Rajput anger hurt the BJP’s vote share in western Uttar Pradesh, where the community makes up a significant portion of the electorate.
A vice president from the UP BJP unit said on the condition of anonymity, “Rana Sanga’s legacy has more weight than the Dalit MP’s credentials. He (the former) represents not only the Rajputs but also nationalism and Indian pride. We don’t view this as a political loss as we can control this narrative, but we are cautious not to link the row to the MP’s caste to avoid Dalit backlash.”
Political science professor Shashi Kant Pandey said, “Rana Sanga was not only the Mewar Rajput king who fought the Mughals but part of the BJP’s nationalism plank. Figures such as Shivaji, Sambhaji, and Rana Sanga have become national icons for the BJP, amplifying the party’s nationalism and cultural pride project.”
On the other hand, Akhilesh took a more reconciliatory note Wednesday after realising that the Rajputs had moved away from the BJP during the LS polls, increasing the SP’s vote share in western UP. “The Samajwadi Party believes in social justice and the establishment of an egalitarian society. We aim to give respect to even the weakest of the weak. Our intent is never to insult any historical figure. We are not questioning Rana Sanga’s valour and patriotism,” he said.
However, he continued, “The BJP has always used history to gain political advantage and divide the country on religious and caste lines. Our MP merely tried to highlight a one-sided interpretation of history. We are not seeking to insult Rajput society or any other group.”
“Historical events cannot be interpreted, based on today’s standards … The BJP government should correct discriminatory practices and focus more on people’s welfare.”
Contradictory records on who invited Babur
Historians are divided on whether Rana Sanga invited Babur to India.
The Baburnama cites Rana Sanga’s communication with Babur, “If the honoured Padshah would come near Delhi from that side, I, from this, will move on to Agra”, according to a translation of the Mughal Emperor’s memoirs by Annette Beveridge, a British translator.
Historian Satish Chandra, in his book Medieval India, mentioned that Punjab’s governor Daulat Khan Lodi invited Babur to fight against Sultan Ibrahim Lodi and that Rana Sanga had also sent an envoy to the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
Noted historian Jadunath Sarkar, in his book Military History of India, however, dismissed the idea of Rana Sanga’s invitation, emphasising Babur’s ambitions and alliances with the Lodi rebels drove his invasion.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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