Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday said that history cannot be nurtured by bestowing indulgent, sycophantic credit on a few, and added that it is imperative to present unvarnished historical accounts to ignite patriotic fervour for current and future generations.
Speaking at a function organised on the occasion of the 138th birth anniversary of freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap at Bharat Mandapam here, Dhankhar described him as a born diplomat, a statesman, a visionary, and a nationalist.
Expressing his anguish at the ‘non-recognition’ of unsung heroes of the freedom struggle, Dhankhar said, “What a travesty of justice, what a tragedy. We are in the 75th year of our independence. We have failed, miserably failed, to recognise such heroic feats of this great man.”
Pointing out that history has not given him the recognition he deserves, he said, “If you look at the foundations of our independence, we have been taught very differently. The foundations of our independence are built upon the supreme sacrifices of people like Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh and other unsung heroes or not-so-well-sung heroes.”
Underlining concern over the way history is written, marked by the unfortunate tendency to overlook certain national heroes, he said, “We cannot nurture our history by bestowing indulgent, sycophantic credit to those who played a role, of course, but not the role played by others. We cannot allow our heroes to be downplayed. Today, as we discuss one of them, it is imperative to present unvarnished historical accounts to ignite patriotic fervour for this and future generations.”
The Vice President also stressed the need for the welfare of farmers to attain a developed country status.
“Every time a thought crosses my mind, I ask myself what we need to do in independent India to ensure that the achievements of our people receive proper respect and recognition. The current system is fine, economic progress is tremendous. We have an exponential economic upsurge and phenomenal infrastructure growth. Our global image is very high, but as I said, to attain the status of a developed nation by 2047, the precondition is that our farmers must be satisfied,” he said.
Dhankhar urged farmers to resolve issues through dialogue and discussion.
“We must remember that we do not fight with our own people, we do not deceive our own people, we deceive the enemy. Our own people are embraced. How can one sleep when the problems of farmers are not being solved swiftly? I call upon my farmer brothers that the resolution of problems in this country happens through dialogue and understanding,” he said.
The VP vowed to resolve the farmers’ problems and said his doors are 24X7 open for them.