'Operation Sindoor An Example Of Fight Needed To Preserve Swaraj,' Says Union Home Minister Amit Shah (VIDEO)

Pune: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the responsibility of creating the India of Shivaji Maharaj's dreams rested with 140 crore Indians, and sometimes, there is a need to fight to protect our 'Swaraj'. He cited Operation Sindoor as an example of this.

“When there was a need to fight for Swaraj, we fought. If there is a need to fight to preserve Swaraj, we will fight. Operation Sindoor is an example of this. But alongside Swaraj, the idea of a great India also encompasses the concept of Shivaji Maharaj,” he stated in his speech after unveiling the statue of the great patriot and symbol of Maratha pride, Shriman Bajirao Peshwa, on the premises of the National Defence Academy.

श्रीमंत बाजीराव पेशवा जी ने 20 वर्षों में 41 युद्ध लड़े और एक भी युद्ध नहीं हारा, ऐसा रिकॉर्ड किसी और सेनापति का नहीं होगा।

मृत्यु पर्यंत पराजय को जिसने अपने नजदीक भटकने नहीं दिया, ऐसे वीर सेनानी की मूर्ति लगाने का सबसे उचित स्थान नेशनल डिफेंस अकादमी है: गृह मंत्री श्री…

— Office of Amit Shah (@AmitShahOffice) July 4, 2025

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol were among others present on the occasion.

“Our goal should be to create an India where we are number one in the entire world. If there is a personality that inspires effort, dedication and sacrifice for this, it is Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa," he noted.

पुणे के खडकवासला में महान राष्ट्रभक्त और मराठा गौरव के प्रतीक श्रीमंत बाजीराव पेशवा 'प्रथम' की प्रतिमा के अनावरण कार्यक्रम से लाइव...

महान राष्ट्रभक्त आणि मराठा गौरवाचे प्रतीक श्रीमंत बाजीराव पेशवे 'प्रथम' यांच्या प्रतिमा अनावरण सोहळ्यातून लाइव्ह. https://t.co/O1SOXSKd9J

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 4, 2025

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“PM Modi has given the formula of development and heritage. There have been many personalities in our thousand-year-old culture who keep inspiring us. Their history needs to be given to today's youth. Bajirao never fought for himself. He fought for the country and Swarajya. The British distorted history. Despite having so much prowess and power, Bajirao was a lifelong Peshwa. He fought for Swarajya. In his 40 years of life, he wrote an immortal history that no one will be able to write for many centuries,” said the Home Minister.

“The inspiration that will come from installing the statue of Shrimant Bajirao at the National Defence Academy, where the chiefs of all three armed forces train and graduate, will ensure that no one can touch India's borders,” he asserted.

“Some rules of the art of war never become outdated. The importance of strategy in war, the importance of swiftness, the spirit of dedication, the spirit of patriotism, and the spirit of sacrifice are important. These are what lead armies to victory; only the weapons keep changing. The most exemplary embodiment of all these qualities in 500 years of Indian history is found only in Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa,” said HM Shah.

He further stated, “Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa fought 41 battles in 20 years and did not lose a single one, a record no other commander could match. The most fitting place to install the statue of such a brave warrior, who never let defeat come near him until his death, is the National Defence Academy.”

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He said the land of Pune is the birthplace of the values of Swaraj. In the 17th century, it was from here that the concept of Swaraj spread across the nation.

“When the time came to fight for Swaraj again in the face of the British, it was Tilak Maharaj who first roared like a lion -- 'Swaraj is my birthright'. The example of how much a person can do for their country in their lifetime was also set by Veer Savarkar from this sacred land of Maharashtra,” he added.

HM Shah also connected Bajirao’s legacy to the broader historical context, crediting the Maratha warrior and the Peshwas for preserving India’s cultural and structural identity through their resistance against external forces.

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He stated, "Had the battle for Independence that was started by Shivaji Maharaj and taken forward by the Peshwas for 100 years not been fought, India’s basic structure would have ceased to exist."

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)