New Delhi || 02-12-2024
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar graced as the Chief Guest at the 138th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Raja Mahendra Pratap at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Sunday. Speaking about the personality of Raja Mahendra Pratap, VP Dhankhar said , he was a born diplomat, a born statesman, a visionary, a nationalist. He said that Raja mahendra Pratap exemplified nationalism, patriotism, farsightedness exhibited by conducting what can be done for the nation.
The Vice President of India said that, “Our history books have done injustice to our heroes. Our history has been manipulated and doctored, created a monopoly of few that gained us independence. It is an unbearable pain on our conscience. It’s a burden on our soul and heart. And I’m sure we have to bring about a big change. No better occasion than formation of the first Bharat Sarkar at that point of time in 1915.
Showing his concern over the way of history writing marked by the unfortunate tendency of overlooking certain national heroes, the Vice-President stated, “ We cannot nurture our history by bestowing indulgent, sycophant, credit rating to those who played role, of course but not the role with others played. We cannot allow our heroes to be downsized. Today, we are discussing one of them, it is imperative to present unvarnished historical accounts to ignite patriotic fervor for this generation and future generations.”
The Vice-President also stressed on the need for the welfare of the farmers to attain a developed country status, Dhankhar stated, “Every time a thought comes to my mind, what do we need to do in independent India so that the achievements of our people are given the proper respect and recognition? The current system is fine, economic progress is tremendous. We have exponential economic upsurge, phenomenal infrastructure growth. Our global image is very high, but as I said, to attain the status of a developed nation by 2047, the precondition is that our farmers have to be satisfied.”
Urging the farmers resolution of issues through dialogue and discussion, VP Dhankhar said, “ We must remember that we do not fight with our own people, we do not deceive our own people, we deceive the enemy. Our own people are embraced. How can one sleep when the problems of farmers are not being solved swiftly? I call upon my farmer brothers that the resolution of problems in this country happens through dialogue and understanding. King Mahendra Pratap was known for this approach. Irretrievable confrontational stance is poor diplomacy.
“We have long ignored those who have been our guides. In true sense, they made the highest sacrifice for the country. Tribal Day has now been started to be celebrated. How old was Birsa Munda? Well, better late than never. The Parakram Day was celebrated……King Mahendra Pratap was actually before him [Subhash Chandra Bose], in a way, he was the one who initiated Netaji’s Indian National Army. I remember visiting the place in Andaman and Nicobar where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the flag in 1945, and I felt very happy to realize that thirty years earlier, this noble act had been done by King Mahendra Pratap”, he added.
Remembering the contributions of Raja Mahendra Pratap as a Parliamentarian, VP Dhankhar narrated, “He was a member of parliament. I went through his entire proceedings, and I noticed one very special thing, and I realized how visionary he was and how many things he kept in mind. On November 22, 1957, he brought a proposal in the Lok Sabha, and what was the issue of the proposal? It was that we should honour some individuals. And why should we do that? Because they had made a significant contribution to the country’s affairs, in the freedom struggle and otherwise. So, he moved a motion and wanted three gentlemen to be honoured in particular – Veer Savarkar, Virendra Kumar Ghose, who was the brother of Aurobindo Ji, and Dr. Bhupendranath Datta, who was the brother of Vivekananda Ji. What a selection he made!
First Copy of the Book ‘The Last King’ (Hindi & English) written by Dr Vivek Singh, Advocate at Supreme Court of India was presented to the Vice President of India during the event.
