America discovered by 'our Indian ancestors', not Columbus: M.P. minister

Madhya Pradesh Minister claims Indian ancestors discovered America, not Columbus; criticizes incorrect history taught to students.

Madhya Pradesh's Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar has claimed that America was discovered by "our Indian ancestors", and not by Christopher Columbus as taught to students.

He also claimed students have been taught "wrong history" that Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered India.

Mr. Parmar was addressing the convocation function at the Barkatullah University in Bhopal on Tuesday.

In his address, the minister said, "Columbus discovered America...Indian students had nothing to do with this. If they had to be taught, they should have also been taught how people in the post-Columbus period tortured the natives and destroyed the tribal society there, because the society was worshipper of nature, worshipper of the Sun."

"(It should have been taught) how they were killed, how they were converted. But unfortunately, the correct facts were not taught," he said.

“On the contrary, Indian students are taught that Columbus discovered America,” Mr. Parmar said.

"I want to say that if someone had to write, they should have written that India's great hero Vasuloon went there in the eighth century and built many temples in Santiago in America. These facts are still written in a museum there. These facts are still kept in a library there," he said.