Foreign invaders cannot be our icons: Yogi Adityanath

Gorakhpur, Dec 9 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said those who glorify foreign invaders suffer from a “mindset of slavery”, asserting that India must take pride in its own heroes and civilisational legacy.

The chief minister was speaking after inaugurating an auditorium named after India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, on his fourth death anniversary at the Army School here.

Marking the occasion, Adityanath also unveiled a statue of Rawat and paid floral tributes to him.

General Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 11 others were killed in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8, 2021.

Addressing the gathering, Adityanath said that General Rawat embodied national pride, duty and courage, and the new auditorium and statue would inspire future generations.

He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to every Indian, given during his Independence Day speech in 2022, to adopt the ‘Panch Pran’ (five resolutions) for national resurgence.

“Is there any true Indian who would want a weak or poor India? Every true Indian wants a secure, developed and self-reliant nation. If we want to build such a Bharat, the five resolutions must become part of our lives,” he said.

Speaking on the first resolution – ‘striving to make India a developed nation in the next 25 years’ – Adityanath said Indians must take pride in their heritage and honour national icons.

“We take pride in the legacy of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna, Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and Rani Lakshmibai. A society that ignores its heroes can never progress. These great personalities are our inheritance,” he said.

The second resolution was to completely shed the mentality of colonial subservience, he said.

“Some people believe that whatever is foreign is superior and whatever is Indian is inferior. This is the mentality of slavery. Uttar Pradesh and India are moving ahead because we have started trusting our own strength and abilities,” Adityanath said.

Asking why Indians should glorify foreign aggressors, Adityanath said, “Why should we call Alexander great? Why not Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Prithviraj Chauhan or General Bipin Rawat?" “Our heroes are our brave soldiers and Param Vir Chakra awardees. Foreign invaders can never be our heroes. We must get rid of the mindset of slavery and rise above those who distorted history to portray them as great,” the chief minister said.

He added that glorifying foreign ideas at the cost of Indian achievements was also a form of “colonial mentality”, which must be discarded. The chief minister said the third resolution was to respect the nation's security forces.

“Our soldiers guard our borders while we sleep in peace. Police and paramilitary personnel work tirelessly,” he said.

The fourth resolution, he said, was social unity, warning against attempts to divide society on caste, regional or linguistic lines.

Attacking the opposition without taking names, Adityanath said, "Some people divide the society for their own political gains. When in power, they think only of their families, build hotels, and purchase islands abroad. They take our money abroad and make the country poor.” “Those who divide the society commit a sin. India's progress lies in unity – we are one. Anyone who does not take pride in being Indian must introspect. If someone feels ashamed to call themselves Indians, they are the outsiders, not us,” he said.

Referring to the fifth resolution, Adityanath said a nation cannot progress if there is a constant conflict over rights.

“Slogans like 'my demands must be met at any cost' cannot be ours. We must rise above narrow interests and work with a sense of duty,” he said. PTI ABN ARI