NEW DELHI: RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale has said that national heroes such as Shivaji Maharaj and others should not be confined to a particular region or language. “They are above regionalism,” he said while speaking on the foundation day of Hindi-Swaraj, organised on the completion of 350 years of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
“Our great men are our national heroes. Shivaji Maharaj protected the religion and nationalism by establishing Hindavi Swarajya and reviving it.
He said anti-religious and anti-national foreign invaders of medieval times made many attempts but could not defeat nationalism of Shivaji Maharaj, who fought for the country and its culture.
Hosabale alleged that Shivaji Maharaj had also become a victim of regionalism. He said India’s great men should not be associated with any particular region or language. “They must be taken from the perspective of what they contributed to the country and culture. Associating of any great men with any region is unfair and a sign of narrow thinking. Shivaji Maharaj is one of the national heroes,” he asserted.
He said anti-religious and anti-national invaders of that time could not crush or defeat Shivaji Maharaj despite making many efforts. “However, what foreign invaders could not do, our historians did,” he said, adding that Shivaji Maharaj was a king who gave us the strength to remain organised. His leadership combined nationalism with cultural consciousness.
On the occasion, J Sai Deepak, another scholar, said that Shivaji Maharaj was such a ruler who encouraged Indians for independence by laying the foundation of Hindavi Swarajya. A short dram and a short film on the life and coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj were also screened as part of the foundation day event. An exhibition depicting the reign of Shivaji Maharaj and Maratha empire in Delhi was also put up.
At another event, BJP chief JP Nadda and Hosabale were joined by several others at a memorial service here to pay tributes to Ved Prakash Nanda, a senior functionary of the Hindutva organisation who passed away recently and had played a key role in its overseas work.