To counter the official version of history, the Communist Party of India-Marxist has decided to trace the events from the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny to India's independence through party organs like People's Democracy.

The party, supporting the United Progressive Alliance coalition from outside, also asked the government on Sunday to take "corrective measures" to portray the people's participation in the freedom struggle -- ranging from the Battle of Plassey 250 years ago, the major peasant and tribal uprisings, the Indian National Army and the 1946 naval mutiny, senior CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters in New Delhi.

Launching the first special issue of People's Democracy, its editor Yechury said the history of India's freedom struggle was more relevant today than ever before.

"Like the British killed the two sons of the last emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and sent him to Burma to die, we now see US imperialism first killing the two sons and then president Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The manner in which these two incidents happened shows that the ruthless functioning of imperialism has not changed since then," he said.

Referring to the 1857 revolt that was sparked by a struggle of the sepoys, he said even former British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli had accepted it to be a "national revolt and not merely a sepoy mutiny."

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party-Sangh Parivar for carrying out a "communal campaign against 'Babar ke aulad' (sons of Emperor Babar)," Yechury said Bahadur Shah Zafar belonged to Babar's dynasty and claimed he was annointed the ruler of 'Independent India' at that time by none other than Jhansi's queen Lakshmibai to fight the British.