Ashish Pandey 
Noida:
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said that “our ideals and national heroes” are Maharana Pratap, Veer Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh, not Akbar or Aurangzeb.
“Akbar can never be a hero. Be it Akbar or Aurangzeb, their mentality towards Hindus was the same. They hatched many conspiracies to trample the eternal tradition of India,” he said.
He was speaking after unveiling the statue of Veer Shiromani Maharana Pratap at Dadri.
Yogi Adityanath said that only a warrior who fights an army of millions with 20 thousand soldiers can be “our true hero”.
“Haldighati gave the status of a national hero to Maharana Pratap and forced Akbar to kneel down by taking back the lost areas of Mewar in his lifetime,” the chief minister added.
He also praised Mahrana Pratap’s horse Chetak. “The devotion of his horse Chetak was also amazing. Even today, people respect the soil of Haldighati as a pilgrimage.” He stressed, “The present generation cannot get a new inspiration. They get inspiration from the character, life and personality of national heroes such as Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh.
“These national heroes should be respected in all circumstances. Those who cannot give respect to these national heroes are the victims of deformity and need treatment. They need treatment because without respecting them, the present generation cannot move forward nor get inspiration.” Speaking about the Maha Kumbh, he asserted, “…rumours also did not stop people from visiting the Maha Kumbh.
They also spread rumours that the water is polluted, but ‘behta paani aur ramta jogi kabhi ashuddh nahi hota’ (flowing water and wandering ascetic can never be impure).” Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, who visited Barsana in Mathura on Friday, said, “Rangotsav of Brajbhoomi surprised foreigners that there is no discrimination in India, everyone is drenched in colours together.”
Yogi Adityanath said that new sources of faith and livelihood are opening up. “Our culture is becoming the basis of our prosperity. Along with the blessings of Shri Ram, Shri Krishna, Mahadev, Maa Ganga and Maa Yamuna, now the blessings of Maa Lakshmi are also showered on UP,” said Yogi Adityanath.
The chief minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 97 development projects worth Rs 1,467 crore for Gautam Buddha Nagar from the public meeting venue itself. The chief minister inaugurated a government degree college, a 100-bed hospital, and announced plans to build ITI and stadium. Under industrial policies, the CM distributed incentives worth Rs 617 crore to 14 units.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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