Stories of valour, sacrifices made by freedom fighters should be highlighted in textbooks: Vice President
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday stressed on the need to provide a comprehensive, authentic and objective account of the historical events and said stories of the valour and sacrifices made by freedom fighters from across the country should be highlighted in the textbooks.
Speaking at the release of a book ''Netaji - India's Independence and British Archives'' authored by Kalyan Kumar De, he underlined the need to make the younger generation aware of India's history.
Mr. De is an associate member of the Netaji Subhash Bose-INA Trust.
The vice president said there were many shades and facets of freedom movement which need to be taught to the younger generation.
"Many people from different parts of India made sacrifices for our independence. Their stories should also be highlighted," he said according to an official statement. Referring to the prominent role played by Subhas Chandra Bose in the freedom struggle, Mr. Naidu said his dynamic and courageous leadership during the freedom movement will continue to be a major source of inspiration to the people, particularly the youth.
Stating that the revival of Indian National Army (INA) made it a force to reckon with, Mr. Naidu said as the documents in this book indicate, the British were quite alarmed at the rising tide of public sympathy for the INA. It was one of the main contributing factors in the country's freedom struggle.
Referring to the International Youth Day on Wednesday, the vice president called upon the youth to take inspiration from the life of Netaji and strive towards building a ''new'' India.
Regretting that even seven decades after Independence, the country continues to face many challenges on different fronts, he asked the youth to be at the forefront of building a new India, which is free of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, caste, gender discrimination and where every Indian has equal opportunities.