The minister said, "We do not oppose Bahadur Shah Zafar as he extended support to Mangal Pandey"
Mughal emperors were not our ancestors but looters and the Uttar Pradesh government would change the syllabus accordingly to reflect this, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma has said.
The minister, however, made an exception for the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar who he said was a "good ruler" as he had supported Mangal Pandey, the hero of India's first war of independence.
"Mughal rulers were not our ancestors but looters. We consider Mughal rulers who did wrong acts as looters. Those who have done good work, we praise. Babar and Aurangzeb were looters. We do not oppose Bahadur Shah Zafar as he extended support to Mangal Pandey," Sharma told reporters here.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited his mausoleum in Yangon because he was a "good ruler". The deputy chief minister, who was on a private visit to Jaunpur, added, "We honour all religions. Apart from worshipping gods and goddesses, I also visit mazaars, gurudwaras and churches."
He said the government planned to bring "necessary changes" in the school syllabus.
"If Akbar had done any good work, it will remain in pages of history. It will be historians who will decide what place Akbar gets," he said.
"A culture where a son kills his father for the throne or the hands of Taj Mahal builder are chopped off cannot be our culture. Our culture honours artistes and scientists. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam is credited for the successful nuclear test, and we honoured him."
Asked to comment on the murder of a child in a Gurgaon school, Mr Sharma said, "The UP government is going to frame some rules. If any such unfortunate incident happens, then the school management will be held responsible."