The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday praised the six-member oversight committee for rejecting the new history book prepared by the education department.

In a statement here on Saturday, former education minister Daljit Singh Cheema (in photo) said the party’s stand has been vindicated by the committee formed by the ruling Congress government.

“We have all along maintained that the deletion of Sikh history in the class twelve history book of the education department smacked of a conspiracy to destroy the roots of our religious and cultural legacy. The committee’s decision to allow the old book to continue will ensure our present and future generations will not be denied study of Sikh Gurus at an impressionable and defining period of their growth as individuals,” Dr Cheema said.

He said the committee by recommending withdrawal of the new history book had exposed the top officials of the education department. He alleged that officials had not only indulged in grave misconduct but had also defended their stand by giving false statements. “These officers, who have even been so bold as to get their names printed in the foreword of the new history book, should be proceeded against immediately,” Dr Cheema added.

The SAD leader also condemned the Congress party for defending the new history book and saying that the 23 chapters on the Sikh Gurus had not been deleted but had been bifurcated into two in class ten and twelve history books.

“Now all these lies have been exposed. The Congress government should learn a lesson from this self goal and in future should avoid taking false stands which are indefensible”, he said.

Dr Cheema said as far as SAD was concerned, it felt it was its sacred duty to take up this cause as it concerned the intellectual and spiritual legacy of the people and the future psyche and morale of coming generations.

The six-member committee headed by Professor Kirpal Singh and including Professor Prithipal Kapoor, Professor J S Grewal, Professor Indu Banga, I S Goggoi and B S Dhillon has unanimously concluded that the new history book contains many errors and needs to be withdrawn.

The committee has recommended that responsibility should be fixed against those who took credit for bringing out the new history book.