'Saffronisation' imperative to rectify distorted Indian history: RSS chief

Condemning the calling of Indian revolutionaries as terrorists, RSS chief Mohan Bhagawat on Wednesday said "saffronisation" was imperative to rectify the country's "distorted history".

"There are many with cunning mindsets who are trying to mislead the society by distorting history. Is calling Bhagat Singh a revolutionary instead of a terrorist, saffronisation? If stating what is fact is saffronisation, then so be it," Bhagwat said.

Bhagwat and veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi were in the city to participate in an event to mark the birth anniversary of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder K.B. Hedgewar.

"This is necessary to preserve the respect for our revolutionaries that is being washed away by cunning mindsets.

"The need is not only to bring back those who have been mislead by such distortions, but also to fight those cunning minds who are serving these distortions.

"Our children follow whatever is there in the text books, but they figure out the distortions and realise the mistake only at a late stage," said Bhagwat.

Speaking in the same vein, Joshi too called for "saffronisation" to enable India to be a world beater.

"Our history is replete with stories of battles that we lost, how foreign invaders defeated and plundered India. But there is hardly any mention of the wars that we have won. When we call for rectifying this distortions, we are accused of saffronising the history. If it so, so be it," said Joshi.

"People are really excited when foreigners marvel about India's traditions and age old practices, but when we do that, we are accused of being saffron. Saffron is India's identity and it is again required to wake India up from its stupor and be a world-beater."