Pune: Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday urged the country’s youth to draw inspiration from freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s life to contribute for nation-building.Calling Lokmanya Tilak the tallest figure in the freedom struggle movement, Shah said, “Along with the freedom struggle movement, Tilak stressed on achieving self-reliance, discipline and sense of responsibility towards the nation. The younger generation should follow the life of Lokmanya Tilak to draw inspiration and contribute towards nation-building.”Shah on Saturday gave away the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval at a ceremony in Pune. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, both the deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, president of Lokmanya Tilak Smarak Trust Rohit Tilak and others attended the award ceremony.Mentioning Tilak’s literary work of “Gita Rahasya”, Shah said, “Tilak’s literature will never be outdated. It remains eternal. If the youth of the country read Gita through Tilak’s point of view, they will never commit any mistake.”Congratulating Doval on receiving the Tilak national award, Shah said the first appointment Narendra Modi made after becoming the Prime Minister in 2014 was that of Doval as the NSA. “Under PM Modi’s leadership, India’s defence and foreign policies were strengthened, and Doval played an important role in shaping these policies. Doval is India’s longest serving NSA. The internal and external security of the country transformed under his tenure,” Shah said.“The Multi Agency Centre (MAC) has become the backbone of the country’s internal security under the Modi-led government and the strong foundation of MAC was laid by Doval as its founding chairman. When the history of Modi’s tenure would be written and an assessment would be made of the country’s internal and external security, a golden page about Doval would be included in it,” Shah said.Doval in his speech urged the country’s youth to sacrifice their personal interest and devote life to nation building. “We have got the window of opportunity to contribute to build the nation, which today’s youth should not let go. Remembering the sacrifices of our freedom fighters in the country’s freedom movement, the youth of the country should also dedicate their life to take the nation to new heights,” he said.Cautioning the youth regarding the challenges before the country, Doval said, “While India is on a path of development, not all are happy with our progress. Some people and countries are threatened by India’s development. Some internal and external challenges still persist before the country. The young generation should stand up to take on those challenges.”Doval said the country’s growth had been expedited under the leadership of PM Modi and home minister Shah, who never showed any hesitation in taking some tough decisions in the interest of the country. “India still has not reached its goal but we are fortunate to have a strong leadership of Modi and Shah, who ensured that people of the country get a conducive atmosphere to achieve its goal,” Doval added.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the combination of Modi, Shah’s leadership and Doval’s expertise in national security had transformed India’s image as a stronger nation in the entire world. He said, “Due to the efforts of Modi, Shah and Doval, we have sent a strong message to the entire world that India cannot be bullied anymore and in case of any threat, we can proactively respond by entering into the enemy’s territory also.”Shah also paid floral tributes to the statue of Annabhau Sathe near Sarasbaug.
