Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said foreign powers could keep India under their rule as they succeeded in creating an inferiority complex among Indians which should be uprooted to achieve Independence in its truest sense.

He said that the foreign rulers created a myth that Indians were illiterate, ignoring the fact that the Gita, the Vedas, astronomy, and zero were given to this world by our country. Shah was speaking after the launch of a mega serial “Swaraj — Bharat Ke Swatantrata Sangram Ki Samagra Gatha”, produced by Doordarshan to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence. The 75-episode mega show chronicles lesser-known tales about Indian history and would be telecast from August 14 on Doordarshan in Hindi and regional languages.

“Those who ruled us destroyed our best systems. They knew that they could rule us only if they succeeded in creating an inferiority complex within us, because we were ahead of them in every aspect. These people created a myth that we were illiterate. The country that gave Geeta and the Vedas to the world, the country that gave the world zero, the country that gave the world astronomy, how can it be illiterate,” said Shah.

Shah wondered if India could claim to have achieved the true ideals of Swaraj if it failed to protect its languages, culture, and history as it marched towards the centenary of Independence. “The real meaning of Swaraj means to run India the way Indians want it to be run. It includes our own languages, our religion, our culture and also our arts,” Shah said at the function attended by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, Minister of State L Murugan, I&B Secretary Apoorva Chandra, CEO of PrasarBharati, Mayank Kumar Agrawal, Members of Parliament among others.

Shah said India has been administered well since Independence and has had several achievements to its credit. “Whoever came (to power) has taken the country forward. We respect everyone. But, if we cannot protect our languages in the centenary year, then would we have achieved the real aim of Swaraj,” Shah asked. He said the Indian civilisation had progressed for several thousand years and there was no need for any NGO to educate the country about its culture.

Shah expressed the hope that the television serial “Swaraj” will help the country get rid of its inferiority complex and make the youth take pride in the country’s history.