The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that Maharana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are national heroes and not the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Singh, speaking at a function after unveiling a life-size statue of the Mewar ruler at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, said that those who glorify Aurangzeb or Babur insult the country’s Muslims.
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, “Our ideals were not at all anti-Islam and anti-Muslim. Hakim Khan Suri fought with Maharana Pratap in the battle of Haldighati against the Mughals. There were people from the Muslim community… pic.twitter.com/9HI6NhUoqk
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“Maharana Pratap was an epitome of courage and patriotism…. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj drew inspiration from Maharana Pratap, especially for guerilla warfare tactics,” Singh said.
“Post-Independence historians with Left leanings did not give due credit to both Rana Pratap and Shivaji Maharaj but eulogised Aurangzeb,” the senior BJP leader claimed.
Singh further said that those who feel that Aurangzeb was a hero should have read Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who wrote that the Mughal emperor was a bigot, cruel rule. He added that such a person cannot be hero.
Dara Shikoh translated the Upanishads, and Aurangzeb murdered him. Dara Shikoh respected all religions, he added. Maharana Pratap sacrificed his life to uphold his self-respect and challenged the dominance of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Singh further said.
He further said that apart from the exemplary bravery of Maharana Pratap, he also united all sections of the society. Hakim Khan Suri sacrificed his life in the battle of Haldighati, fighting against the Mughals. Madari, a Muslim youth, was Shivaji Maharaj’s bodyguard. Both Rana Pratap and Shivaji Maharaj were not anti-Muslim, said the BJP leader.
The Defence Minister said that it is our moral duty to undo the historical injustice and tell the youth that Maharana Pratap and Shivaji Maharaj are not restricted to history books but are living source of inspiration. He also asked what was wrong with renaming Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and the Aurangzeb Road in Delhi as APJ Abdul Kalam Road.
Glorifying Babur, Taimur, Aurangzeb, Ghori, and Ghaznavi will not get anyone Muslim votes. Those who praise these people insult Indian Muslims, he said. For the BJP, all Indians are equal and it does not discriminate, Singh said, adding, We have learned this from our ancestors.
Aurangzeb became an issue recently in Maharashtra politics when some right-wing leaders demanded that the tomb at Kuldabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar should be removed.
(With inputs from PTI)
