YouTuber and journalist Akash Banerjee distorts history in his videos. There is a hot debate going on in social media these days. Recently, many people have accused him of glorifying Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in his videos and spreading fake stories by hiding the truth. Let’s know the whole matter.
Recently, a video surfaced on the handle x in which content creator Keshav Bedi exposed Akash Banerjee for glorifying Mughal ruler Aurangzeb by distorting history. Recently, Akash Banerjee released a video after the release of the Chhava movie in which he presented Aurangzeb as a “visionary ruler.”.
In his video, Aakash Banerjee says, “It is a fact that in Mughal history, the maximum number of Hindu Mansabdars (nobles) were during the period of Aurangzeb, 33% Hindu Mansabdars among other Mughal rulers. There was no compulsion for this, but from the political point of view, it was a good strategy to maintain the Rajput support base.”
Keshav Bedi, however, countered this claim by sharing a video where he challenged Banerjee’s research. He claims that Banerjee’s statistics were derived from historian Athar Ali’s book but were presented misleadingly.
Keshav Bedi says that according to Athar Ali, in Akbar’s period, the share of Hindus in Mughal mobility was 22.5%; during Shahjahan’s time, it fell to 22.4%. Athar Ali has divided Aurangzeb’s rule into two parts; in the first part, the actual share of Hindus was 21.6%, and in his second tenure, it increased to 31.6%.
Now, the question is, why did this increase happen during Aurangzeb’s rule?
Keshav Bedi claims Athar Ali himself has answered this in his book. “Aurangzeb initially reduced Hindu nobles, but Marathas, outnumbering Rajputs, forced their way in. His Deccan struggles later made him admit them for submission, while Rajput numbers kept declining.”
Keshav Bedi said that Marathas were forced in this way. This is clear from Athar Ali’s book itself. However, Akash Banerjee says that it was a brilliant political strategy to keep Rajputs in the fold. Keshav Bedi further said that where two-thirds of the population is Hindu, what is their representation there? 22%, 21%, 31%. The rest are Iranians, Turanis, imports from Central Asia who have nothing to do with us, neither speak our language nor anything.
Who is Akash Banerjee?
Akash Banerjee is an Indian journalist, digital content creator, and filmmaker known for his sharp and witty comments on Indian politics and social issues. He founded the Deshbhakt YouTube channel, a platform for political satire and commentary, and has worked with various news media outlets in India.
