‘Bharat, that is India’: Praise for Akbar in G20 booklet prompts Kapil Sibal's dig at govt

livemint.com:

The central government which released a set of two booklets that traces India's history back to 6,000 BCE. Two booklets – Bharat, The Mother of Democracy and Elections in India waa handed over to the dignitaries at the G20 summit. One of the booklet said Akbar introduced the doctrine of "Sulh-i-Kuli ie universal peace, as a tool against religious discrimination".

"To create a harmonious society, he propounded a new syncretic religion known as 'Din-i-llahi' or Divine Faith. He also established the 'Ibadat Khana (House of Worship)' where wise men from different sects met and debated. A group of nine wise people, known as Navaratna, served as his counsellors, while implementing his pro-people schemes," the booklet said.

"Akbar's democratic thinking was unusual and way ahead of its time," it said. The booklet talks about how in Bharat that is India, the view or the will of the people in governance has been the central part of life since the earliest recorded history. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal took a swipe at the government on Wednesday over a G20 booklet praising Mughal emperor Akbar, alleging that it has one face for the world and another for "India that is Bharat".

Sibal cited a G20 booklet titled "Bharat: The Mother of Democracy", the 38th page of which talks about Akbar. "Good administration should embrace everyone's welfare, regardless of religion. That was the kind of democracy the third Mughal Padishah Akbar practised," the booklet said.