‘If we need history lessons, we will go to college…’: Minister Priyank Kharge on PM Modi’s Somnath temple remarks

KALABURAGI: Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge on Sunday responded to PM Modi’s statement on Somnath temple, claiming that “people with a colonial mindset” attempted to “erase history” of India’s glorious past, saying that instead of “history lessons,” the Prime Minister should focus on the growth and development projects in India, further asserting that anyone who wants to know histor will go to college.

“There is evidence for our ancient history, and everybody has deciphered it in whatever manner they deem fit… But what do we expect from the Prime Minister? History lessons?… Where is the blueprint for the country? It’s been 11 years. Only slogans. What happened to Make in India, Skill India, or Digital India? They have all flopped… If you ask any question, you’re branded an anti-national. If we need history lessons, we will go to college…” he stated.

The remark comes after Prime Minister Modi addressed a massive gathering after the culmination of the Shaurya Yatra in Somanth, asserting that some historians and politicians tried to distort accounts of historical invasions in textbooks, where “religious invasion was labelled as loot”.

#WATCH | Somnath, Gujarat | PM Narendra Modi says, “… Unfortunately, after independence, people with a colonial mindset tried to get rid of our glorious past. They tried all they could to erase history… Those who fought for the Somnath Temple were not given their due… pic.twitter.com/xNrJFCnRQ6

— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2026

“Unfortunately, after independence, people with a colonial mindset tried to get rid of our glorious past. They tried all they could to erase history. Those who fought for the Somnath Temple were not given their due recognition and importance. Some historians and politicians even tried to whitewash the history of these invaders. Religious invasion was labelled as loot. We have been taught in our textbooks that the Somnath Temple was demolished to loot its treasures. The cruel history of hate, atrocities and terror was hidden from us,” PM Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi participated in a ‘Shaurya Yatra’ at Somnath as part of a four-day national commemoration marking 1,000 years of unbroken faith and resilience since Mahmud of Ghazni’s first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026.

The ‘Shaurya Yatra’ is a symbolic procession organised as part of the Somnath Swabhiman Parv. It represents courage, sacrifice and the indomitable spirit that preserved Somnath through centuries of adversity. (ANI)