On Wednesday, Delhi University’s Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh firmly declared that the university would exclude Allama Iqbal’s works from its curriculum, referring to Iqbal as the instigator of India’s partition.
Singh also elevated Vinayak Damodar Savarkar to the same level as Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, announcing that Delhi University would include the works of Gandhi, Ambedkar, and Savarkar in its curriculum, but would not teach Iqbal, whom he accused of initiating the partition of India leading up to 1947.
Iqbal, famous in India primarily for writing the poem “Saare Jahan Se Accha,” is also regarded as Pakistan’s national poet. During the inaugural session of the national seminar on ‘Unravelling the Partition of India,’ organised by the Centre for Independence and Partition Studies at the University of Delhi, Singh acknowledged that people are entitled to their own opinions about Iqbal but stressed that Delhi University would not compromise the nation’s unity and integrity.
“Iqbal was the initiator of the partition of India. He was an advisor to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan,” Singh said. “He wrote Saare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara as a student of Government College Lahore in 1904. He also wrote Tarana-e-Hind, but himself didn’t accept it.”
The Vice-Chancellor thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the initiative to observe Partition Horrors Remembrance Day. Singh stated that the day is meant to honour those who sacrificed for the country, noting that while no one desired the partition of India, there was no significant opposition to it at the time. “Around 20 lakh lives were lost and 1.5 crore people were displaced, but no one spoke up,” the VC said.
Singh encouraged the students to pledge to uphold the unity and integrity of the nation without compromise. “The security of the nation is the first duty of every citizen,” he said, adding that universities have a responsibility to foster a sense of patriotism. “Along with education and research, universities should prepare minds so that when a crisis comes upon the nation, they all stand together for the country,” he said.
Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, the chief guest at the event, stated that August 14 is a day to honor the victims of the Partition and to hope that India will never experience such a situation again.
“Dr B.R. Ambedkar himself suffered the pain of Partition. The area of Bengal from where he was elected to the Constituent Assembly was merged with East Pakistan,” said Meghwal, urging Delhi University administrators to encourage research on topics related to the Partition.