New Delhi: No amount of power or ammunition accumulated will help unless people have self-confidence, India’s National Security Advisor (NDA) Ajit Doval said on Saturday.
According to him, the country should “take revenge” for its painful history of attacks and subjugation.
“You are lucky that you were born in an Independent India. I was born in a colonised India,” Doval (81), told a gathering of 3,000 young delegates from across the country at the opening ceremony of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue in New Delhi, as reported by The Telegraph Online.
“Our ancestors fought for independence, they went through so many trials and tribulations,” he said, speaking in Hindi.
Doval, who was the guest of honour at the event, mentioned the struggles and sacrifices of freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhash Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh to drive home his point.
“People like Bhagat Si
ngh were hanged, Subhash Chandra Bose struggled all his life and Mahatma Gandhi had to do satyagraha for us to gain Independence,” he said.
“All the struggles and wars going on around the world are because some countries want to impose their own will on others and are using all their power for it. But if you are powerful, you will remain free. If there is no self-confidence, then all the power and ammunition are useless,” he noted.
“We are fortunate to have such leadership in our country today,” he said.
“His commitment, dedication, and hard work are an inspiration for all of us. As Napoleon once said, ‘I am not afraid of 1,000 lions led by a sheep, but of 1,000 sheep led by a lion,” the NSA said without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We were a progressive society. We did not attack other civilisations or their temples, but since we were not self-aware when it came to security, history taught us a lesson,” he said.
“Countless people lost their lives. Our temples were destroyed, villages were looted, and our civilisation was crushed, while we remained helpless, mute spectators. History challenges us. Today’s youth has that fire. Although revenge is not a good word, it is powerful. We must take revenge for our country by rebuilding a great Bharat based on our values,”Doval said.