LUCKNOW: With the UP Assembly polls a couple of months away, Prime Minister Modi invoked Raja Suheldev, a royal of yore who was very popular in eastern UP as he had defeated the army of Muslim invader Salar Masood, during his speech at the courtyard of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor after inaugurating its Phase-I in Varanasi on Monday.
Giving words to his emotions, the PM said that Kashi Vishwanath temple was testimony to the country’s ancient history. Rummaging through the pages of history, the PM said Kashi was immortal.
“Kashi Avisnashi hai (Kashi is immortal). Invaders attacked this city, tried to destroy it but Kashi withstood every attack as sultanates rose and fell. History is witness to Aurangzeb’s atrocities, his terror. He tried to change civilisation by the sword. He tried to crush culture with fanaticism. But the soil of this country is magical. Here if an (Mughal Emperor) Aurangzeb comes, a (Maratha warrior) Shivaji also emerges,” said the PM.
In the same vein he cited the example of Mahraja Suheldev who had defeated the invader Salar Masood in the battle of Bahraich. “If any Salar Masood moves here, then brave warriors like Raja Suheldev make the invader feel the power of unity,” added the PM.
The PM even mentioned how British Governor General Warren Hastings had to make a hasty retreat in the guise of a woman from Kashi.
Prime Minister Modi opened the corridor for the public explaining the antiquity and exclusivity of Kashi as the abode of Lord Shiva. “One will take pride in coming here as this is a confluence of ancient and new. The whole new complex of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham is not just a grand building, but a symbol of the Sanatan culture of India, our spiritual soul and India’s antiquity and traditions," said the PM.
“The new India is proud of its culture and also has confidence on its ability … there is Virasat (legacy) blended with Vikas in New India,” averred the PM adding that Vishwanath Dham was full of energy.
“Many ancient temples lost in the vicinity have been restored again. When I came to Varanasi, I found people doubtful of the mettle of the people of Kashi. They used to say restoration of Vishwanath Dham was a daunting task and that nobody could do it. Many Modis have come and gone but no one could change it,” said the PM explaining how the efforts and the conviction of the people helped the dream project take such a beautiful shape in four years.