Historians slam Bihar government move over Ashoka birthday

Patna: Historians have slammed the Nitish government for ‘inventing’ the date of birth of emperor Ashoka on April 14. Bihar cabinet had on Tuesday declared an official holiday on this date.
“The decision of Bihar government to declare a state holiday on Ashoka’s birthday amounts to a modern concoction. Ashoka’s epigraphs, the only written version of events in his lifetime, do not mention either his date of birth or his year of birth,” said Nayanjot Lahiri, a professor of history in Delhi University.Inventing history by celebrating a fictitious birthday is not the way forward, said Lahiri who recently published a book ‘Ashoka in Ancient India’.
Talking to TOI over phone from Delhi, she said, “We don’t know exactly when Ashoka was born.” She added, “If Bihar government wishes to honour Ashoka, it is better they put in more efforts for securing and preserving the monuments and epigraphs associated with him,” she said.
Another noted historian and former HoD, history, Delhi University, Professor D N Jha echoed a similar view. “I am shocked over the government’s decision to declare April 14 as the emperor’s birthday. I don’t who has advised the CM about his date,” he told TOI over phone.
Former HoD of history, Patna University, Rajeshwar Prasad Singh and O P Jayaswal, former head of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, PU, expressed their surprise over the government decision. None of these historians had been consulted before taking the decision. Singh said earlier BJP had highlighted it by creating imaginary picture of Ashoka. Jayaswal said it (the decision) is aimed at wooing the Kushwaha population. “We don’t have any evidence about his caste,” Jayaswal told TOI.
Some months before the assembly poll in Bihar, Union telecom minister Ravishankar Prasad had released a postal stamp on emperor Ashoka in Patna. He had then announced that a life-size statue of emperor Ashoka would be installed at the ASI-protected site at Kumhrar if his party was voted to power in Bihar. Incidentally, Kushwahas are a dominant OBC community who account for about nine per cent of the total voters in Bihar