Nix inferiority complex for true independence: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said India is set to take a giant leap in the 75th year of its Independence and no one can stop it from becoming a great nation. Shah also said foreign powers were able to keep India under their rule because they succeeded in creating an inferiority complex among Indians, and uprooting this will help achieve independence in its truest sense.
Shah was speaking at the launch of a mega serial 'Swaraj - Bharat Ke Swatantrata Sangram Ki Samagra Gatha', which has been produced by public service broadcaster Doordarshan to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.
The 75-episode mega show chronicles lesser-known tales about Indian history and would be telecast from August 14 on Doordarshan in Hindi and regional languages.
Launching the show along with Union I&B minister Anurag Thakur, Shah said the real meaning of Swaraj means to run India the way Indians want it to be run.
Shah said India has been administered well since Independence and has had several achievements to its credit. "Whoever came (to power) has taken the country forward. We respect everyone. But, if we cannot protect our languages in the centenary year, then would we have achieved the real aim of Swaraj?" Shah said.
He also said the Indian civilisation had progressed for several thousand years and there was no need for any NGO to educate the country about its culture.
"Those who ruled us, destroyed our best systems. They knew that they could rule us only if they succeeded in creating an inferiority complex within us, because we were ahead of them in every aspect... These people created a myth that we were illiterate. The country that gave Geeta and the Vedas to the world, the country that gave the world 'zero', the country that gave the world astronomy, how can it be illiterate," he asked.
Speaking at the event, Thakur referred to Shah as a master strategist and the modern day 'Chanakya', who delivered on the promise of nullification of Article 370 and 35A, aside from taking steps to strengthen national security. "We have heard that Sardar Patel had unified India. I see a reflection of Sardar Patel in Amit Shah. Patel unified the country, Amit Shah is making it stronger," Thakur said.