Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that had Ahom commander Lachit Borphukan not been there, the Northeast would not have been a part of India. Shah was speaking at a function commemorating the 400th birth anniversary of the commander in the Capital.
“Our country and our cultures are indebted to the valour of Lachit Borphukan. Not only that, in 1206, Mughal ruler Bakhtiyar Khilji lost at the hands of King Prithu and in 1671, the fight between Lachit Borphukan and Aurangzeb is well documented. The stories of the brave kings and commanders from Assam are now in front of the people and students of history to listen and learn from,” Shah said.
He added that he was thankful for the efforts of Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for bringing out the stories of Borphukan’s exploits at the Battle of Saraighat in front of the world.
Sarma’s BJP government has put up a year-long festivities to commemorate the 400th birth anniversary of Borphukan, who was the commander of the Ahom kingdom under Pratap Singha during the Battle of Saraighat when the Mughal army of Emperor Aurangzeb attempted to invade Assam.
Speaking of Lachit’s valour, Shah recalled the story of how the commander killed his own uncle for slacking. "To defeat the Mughal army, Lachit devised a strategy that involved the building of a wall before sunrise but found no work was done with hours left for daybreak. He took out his sword and killed his own uncle, who was in charge of the wall, for procrastinating. This shows that he was a true patriot," said Shah.
Shah also asked historians and students of history to research the lives of 30 Indian empires in the last 150 years and 300 brave commanders and soldiers who thwarted attempts by Mughal invaders, so that India can be inspired by them.
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