‘Congress demanded only Home Rule, not complete Independence, until as late as 1930’

NEW DELHI: In a powerful and unflinching address during the launch of the book “History That India Ignored” authored by veteran journalist and ANI Chairman Prem Prakash, Union minister Jitendra Singh delivered a scathing critique of the Congress party’s selective reading of India’s freedom struggle, asserting that it was never at the forefront of the freedom movement and that the Congress party had only demanded Home Rule under Governor General appointed by the British empire, not complete Independence, until as late as 1930.

Speaking at the event organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation, Jitendra Singh stated unequivocally: “The Congress party was, until 1930, content with being a loyalist club demanding Home Rule. It was only the countrywide public outrage after the hanging of Bhagat Singh and his comrades in 1931 that forced them to shift stance.”

Singh did not mince words as he laid bare historical truths long buried under layers of curated narratives. Citing incidents from Prem Prakash’s deeply-researched book, he pointed out the Congress party’s shameful indifference to martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Madan Lal Dhingra.

“When Madan Lal Dhingra killed Curzon Wyllie in 1909 in London, the Congress not only disowned him but passed a resolution against him. Even his own family denounced him. The only one who stood by Dhingra was Veer Savarkar—who supported him and went to see him in jail,” he said.

Singh read the book cover-to-cover ahead of its launch and praised it for its unbiased, archival based storytelling, unlike many history texts that glorify select figures while erasing true revolutionaries.

“Prem Prakash ji’s account is rare. Despite decades in journalism, not a single paragraph in this book reflects any bias. He has painstakingly brought out the real heroes—those left unsung by mainstream history,” said Union minister.

Quoting from the book, Jitendra Singh highlighted that the Congress Party, founded by a retired British civil servant AO Hume, was “a club of retired civil servants and emerging Indian elite” demanding home rule — not a freedom party body by any measure.