Udaipur: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reiterated that India has never attacked any country nor occupied an inch of foreign land, but if anyone tries to cast an evil eye, she will give a befitting reply. He said, India is no longer weak, but strong and capable to deal with all challenges.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, at the unveiling ceremony of the statue of Ma Pannadhay in Udaipur’s Pannadhay Park on Tuesday, said that India has become a powerful country in the world, self-reliant India will export three and a half lakh crores in defence sector by 2047. The coming 25 years are the Amrit Kaal of India and will be in the position of Vishwa Guru in 2040.
Calling for the contribution of youth in building a new India, he said that the statues of our great men are a source of inspiration for the generations to come. Empires and emperors are remembered by all but those who have sacrificed themselves, those who built empires and emperors should also be remembered. Dhai Maa Panna is an immortal emerald on the altar of this sacrifice, he said, taking inspiration from their dedication, we have to make the country strong .
The Defence Minister said that the crisis of unemployment cannot be ended by giving a speech, for this tough decisions are needed. He said that indigenous is being promoted to become self-reliant in the defence sector, he has decided that 68 per cent of the 100 procurement should be indigenous. If a foreign company wants to do business in India, then it should come to India, set up factories, produce, so that India’s hands get work, he added.
He also remembered Hadi Rani, Durgadas Rathod, Amrita Devi, Bhaktimati Meerabai along with Dhai Maa Panna and while describing Mewar as the land of devotion and power, said that if Dhai Maa Panna had not been there, there would have been neither Uday Singh nor Veer Shiromani Maharana Pratap.
In the function, union Minister of State for Heavy Industries Krishna Pal Gurjar also remembered the sacrifice of Panna Dhay and described his sacrifice as the supreme sacrifice. He said that Nahari’s (Kshatrani)’s Jaya and Gujari’s Dhaya are the best warriors.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly and Udaipur City MLA Gulabchand Kataria, while welcoming the guests, expounded the need and importance of Pannadhay’s statue. He also felicitated the representatives of Gujjar Samaj who came to the function.
Municipal Corporation Mayor Govind Singh Tak, Dungarpur Banswara MP Kanak Mal Katara, Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi, BJP MLAs of Udaipur division, former MLAs, senior officials etc. were present on the stage. Municipal Corporation Deputy Mayor Paras Singhvi told that the life size statue of Pannadhay is 9 feet 6 inches. In this group of three statues, the statue of Udai Singh, who settled Udaipur, is 5 feet 6 inches. The idol of the sacrificed sandalwood is 4 feet 11 inches. The total weight of the three idols is 1130 kg. All the three statues have been constructed at a cost of thirteen lakhs.
The Defence Minister started the ceremony by lighting the lamp on the picture of Ma Bharati in the beginning. Udaipur City BJP District President Ravindra Shrimali, Dehat BJP District President Chandragupta Singh Chouhan presented a sword to the Defence Minister. Brijlal Soni and Girdhari Lal Soni presented a poem on the bravery of Panadhai.