Fight for pride like Shivaji Maharaj did, says Patra

Nagpur: “Shivaji Maharaj fought with the Mughals to create a Hindu swarajya. We too should fight for our pride like he did,” said Sambit Patra, national spokesman of BJP. He was speaking at a lecture on the relevance of Shivaji’s thoughts in the present context at Maharshi Vyas Sabhagruh, Reshimbagh, on Sunday.
Patra said, “Conquerors from Iran and Afghanistan destructed the Hindu swarajya and cut the proverbial banyan tree in the seventh and eighths century. Hindu kingdoms were scattered since then. But it was Shivaji Maharaj who planted the roots of a Hindu nation in the 16th century and waged a war on foreigners who were ruling the country.” Having said so, Patra clarified that he has no intentions to draw parallels between Hindus and Muslims.

Shivaji Maharaj firmly stood up against the Mughal emperors since childhood though his father held an important position in the council of Adil Shahi dynasty. “There is a Shivaji in all of us, but seems to be lost,” said Patra.

Patra said, “Some groups in the country are trying to block the plans of building a swarajya. But we must defeat the enemy in a democratic way by exercising our rights through ballot.”

Patra hinted at the controversy in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, which erupted in 2016. “Students in colleges are celebrating the birth anniversary of Afzal Guru which is a worrying sign. They are being misled by elements within our society. We must do our bit to oppose them,” he said.

He said invasions by the Mughal emperors for centuries were dark times for the Hindu culture. “We continued to be ruled by outsiders who were oppressive and raped women for over 600 years. Rulers like Alauddin Khilji conquered the south and damaged temples in Rameswaram. In the 1600s, Shivaji Maharaj recaptured the land possessed by the Mughals and began fulfilling his dreams of establishing a Hindu nation.”

The legacy and legend of Shivaji should not just be limited to the borders of Maharashtra but be spread to rest of the country, said Patra. He stressed that the Maratha king had taken an oath in a temple to create a Hindu nation. “He fought for the Hindus. Shivaji was not just a man and a great king, he is an idea which we all should embrace,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we tend to be complacent and forget the Shivaji in us. There have only been a handful of men who have fought for a Hindu swrajya. We need more,” said Patra.