Bajirao Peshwa's record can't be matched by any military commander in the world, says Amit Shah

Mumbai: No military commander in the world can match the record of Shrimant Bajirao Peshwa, who fought and won all the 41 wars in 20 years, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.

Shah's observations came after unveiling of the equestrian statue of Thorle Bajirao Peshwa (18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740), the seventh Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire, who is credited with establishing the Marathas as the supreme power in the Indian subcontinent displacing the Mughals from dominance. In doing so, the Peshwa had carried forward the vision of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The statue has been set up in the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla, the premier tri-services training institute.

The 13.5-foot-tall, 4,000-kg bronze statue has been donated to the NDA by the Shrimant Thorale Bajirao Peshwe Pratishthan.

“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 NDA,” said Shah.

"Statues of Peshwa Bajirao can be found in various places across the country, in my village also there is one statue. However, I believe the best place for a memorial to Peshwa Bajirao is the NDA in Pune. As the training ground for the future leaders of all three services of the Indian armed forces, placing a statue of Peshwa Bajirao ji would serve as a powerful source of inspiration. If our future warriors draw motivation from such a great leader, I believe that for many years to come, no one would dare to touch the borders of India,” Shah said amid thunderous applause.

“It is from the NDA where the chiefs of all three armed forces train and graduate, the statue will ensure that no one can touch India's borders,” he said.

“Some rules of the art of war never become outdated…the strategy adopted in the war, the importance of swiftness, the spirit of dedication, the spirit of patriotism, and the spirit of sacrifice...These are what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

Among those present include Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, state Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Pune Lok Sabha MP Murlidhar Mohol and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Medha Kulkarni, Air Marshal Bhushan Gokhale (Retd), who is the President of Thorle Bajirao Peshwe Prathistan, Pushkar Singh Peshwa, a descendent of the Peshwa family and Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, the Commandant of the NDA.