Weapons made in U.P. will haunt enemy for long: Dhankhar

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said the Indian defence forces had proved to the world that the new India is prepared to answer any threat. He also said defence products manufactured in Uttar Pradesh will haunt the enemy for a long time as these demolished hideouts of terrorist outfits.
Dhankhar was speaking as the chief guest at an event to mark the 300th birth anniversary of Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar in Agra.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya were present on the occasion. Union minister of state and Agra MP Prof SP Singh Baghel welcomed the guests.
The vice president praised Ahilyabai Holkar for her governance and commitment to women empowerment as well as her contribution to renovation of temples damaged by invaders.
Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled Malwa (Indore) when it was part of the Maratha empire in the 18th century, was well known for her social welfare and humanitarian work.
'This day of the birth anniversary of Ahilyabai Holkar is not only historic, but also an occasion for us to follow the philosophy of life that Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar showed. We need to express commitment to follow her principles because she was not only a good ruler, but also a representative of the high values of Indian heritage, a custodian of religion and culture,' the vice president said.
'She revived countless temples, including the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, Kashi Vishwanath, Omkareshwar, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Bheema Shankar and Rameshwaram. After demolition by Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, Ahilyabai Holkar revived the Kashi Vishwanath temple 100 years later. The ghats and beautification of the present-day Kashi is the outcome of efforts by chief minister Yogi Adityanath under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,' he added.
He praised the Uttar Pradesh chief minister as a far-sighted leader who believes in work.
'Yogi Adityanath is following Ahilyabai Holkar in UP and history will remember him in the same way for his work,' the vice president said.
'Our armed forces gave a befitting reply to the cowardly attack on innocent tourists in Pahalgam and defence products manufactured in Uttar Pradesh will haunt the enemy for long as they demolished destinations of terrorist outfits of Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Tayyeba within Pakistani territory. Brahmos taught them a lesson and our army proved to the world that it is a new India committed to ending terrorism and replying suitably to any threats posed to it,' the vice president said.
'Present-day Uttar Pradesh has been transformed into Uttam Pradesh and the rule of law prevails here unlike its image in the past. For us, the nation is foremost and nationalism is our religion. U.P. is now the centre of cultural heritage and it began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi opting for Varanasi as his constituency in 2014 and chief minister Yogi Adityanath took it forward. The recently held Mahakumbh proved it beyond doubt to the world,' Dhankhar said.
'I come from a farmer family and am proud to be so because Ahilyabai Holkar too was from a farmer family. The nation is progressing because farmers are committed to its growth. Holkar established high standards of women empowerment and created a unit of women soldiers. Present-day India, too, is a symbol of women empowerment in different arenas, including the armed forces, and now women are to get reservation in the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha too,' he said.
The vice president's wife Dr Sudesh Dhankar, Maharashtra Legislative Council chairman Prof Ramshankar Rao Shinde, former Goa deputy CM Chandrakant Babu Kavlekar, MP PK Parthsarthi and Bastipati Nagaraju were also present.