JAIPUR: Emphasising the need to embrace 'Swadeshi' and 'Swabhasha', Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged people to use indigenous products and promote the use of their mother tongue.
Addressing the Mahasabha (assembly) of the Maheshwari community in Rajasthan's Jodhpur, Shah said, "The only way to reach the top is through self-reliance, and the mantra for this is swadeshi."
Shah urged people to use indigenous products as much as possible and appealed to shopkeepers to prioritise the sale of domestically made goods. "I appeal to everyone to manufacture products that are not currently made in the country," he said.
Shah said that over the past 11 years, India has moved from being the world’s 11th largest economy to the fourth. He expressed confidence that the country would become the third-largest economy next year.
He added that along with swadeshi, people should also adopt and promote their mother tongue. "Another important aspect of self-reliance is language," he said.
The Union Home Minister said that while learning different languages is necessary to progress globally, people should not forget their mother tongue. "Use your mother tongue with your children. Speak in Marwari and Rajasthani so that they remain connected to their culture and history," he said, describing the Maheshwari community as one that has traditionally upheld both valour and justice.
Later in the day, Shah attended a state-level appointment ceremony at the Rajasthan Police Academy in Jaipur as the chief guest. During the event, he distributed appointment letters to 9,000 newly recruited police constables.
"Today, 9,000 constables have received their appointments purely on the basis of merit, without any recommendations. A state can progress only when recruitment is carried out transparently. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has put an end to the series of paper leaks that had plagued the previous Congress government," Shah said.
Calling it an important day for law and order in the state, Shah claimed that Rajasthan has witnessed a significant decline in crime over the past two years.
"There has been an overall reduction of nearly 14 per cent in total crimes and a 19 per cent decline in serious crimes. Under the BJP-led Bhajan Lal government, murders have reduced by 25 per cent, attempted murders by 19 per cent, crimes against women by 10 per cent, atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes by 28 per cent, dacoity by 47 per cent, and robbery by 51 per cent," he said.
This was Shah's second visit to Rajasthan in the past three months. Political observers say the visit went beyond routine engagements and was aimed at conveying key messages on organisation, governance and the security framework.
Ahead of Amit Shah’s visit to Rajasthan, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot launched a sharp attack on him, questioning the delay in justice in the brutal murder of Udaipur's Kanhaiyalal and the state of law and order.
In an X post, Gehlot said that despite the National Investigation Agency (NIA) taking over the Kanhaiyalal case on the night of the incident, the victim’s family is still waiting for justice.
He also accused Shah of spreading misinformation during the elections over the compensation amount, claiming the family had received Rs 50 lakh and government jobs for both sons, and demanded an apology for what he termed false statements.
