News Brief
Nishtha Anushree
Aug 26, 2024, 03:31 PM | Updated 03:31 PM IST
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In an event in Agra on Monday (26 August), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called Aurangzeb "dusht (wicked)" and recalled how Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj challenged the Mughal ruler.
The event was to unveil the statue of Durgadas Rathore, an army commander of Jodhpur's Maharaja Jaswant Singh, who firmly resisted Aurangzeb's expansion plans.
Adityanath criticised Aurangzeb for conspiring to kill Maharaja Jaswant Singh and recalled how Durgadas Rathore protected the Maharaja's heir and made him the king of Jodhpur later.
"Veer Durgadas Rathore's fight was not only for his king but it was for nation, pride and swadharma," Adityanath said. He also remembered India's freedom fighters like Ram Prasad Bismil.
The UP CM also cautioned against the divisive politics that seek to divide us in the name of caste, language and region and urged us to perform the duties of a citizen for the country's progress.
He emphasised the need of unity to strengthen the country and said, "Batenge to katenge (we will die if we divide). You are seeing what's happening in Bangladesh, we should not make same mistakes."
"Ek rahenge to nek rahenge (If we remain united, we remain good) and be safe and become prosperous. We have to make India developed," Adityanath concluded.
Nishtha Anushree is Senior Sub-editor at Swarajya. She tweets at @nishthaanushree.