Don’t limit great people like Holkar, Ambedkar by caste: CM

Lucknow: In Muzaffarnagar to launch development works and unveil a statue of Ahilyabai Holkar on Monday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath spoke out against limiting great people like Holkar and BR Ambedkar by their caste.“The contributions of Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar and Chaudhary Charan Singh were not for any caste or individual, but for the nation. Great personalities should be respected and not confined within narrow caste boundaries. The country became enslaved when great personalities were divided along caste lines. Was the clarion call given by Dhan Singh Kotwal in the first war of Independence for any caste? Were those who were martyred in Muzaffarnagar sacrificing for their families? Did Rani Laxmibai, Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Guru Gobind Singh fight for any caste?”, he asked, asserting that they fought for the nation and dharma.Talking about Chaudhary Charan Singh, Yogi said that his greatness lay in his speaking for the welfare of all and not focusing on caste. A national hero, he added, has no caste. “When a soldier fights at the border, he does not see caste, he sees the nation. He belongs to every caste. National issues should not be politicised and some areas should be kept above politics where the nation remains supreme,” he said.Paying tribute to Holkar, the CM said that to keep her legacy alive, UP govt will construct working women’s hostels in her name. At present, 14 working women hostels are under construction in the state. Holkar worked towards preserving India’s heritage when India was under subjugation by the Mughals, he said, adding that she had also rebuilt the Kashi Vishwanath temple after it was destroyed by Aurangzeb.Speaking about the ongoing Middle East crisis, the CM credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having giving a sense of security to 145 crore Indians while countries like Pakistan, Iran, Dubai, Qatar, Iraq and Europe are in a crisis. “This reflects the strength of a New India. In many countries, inflation is at its peak and prices of petroleum products have increased manifold, but the situation in India is under control. The central govt is bearing an additional expenditure of crores of rupees daily to provide relief to the public so that the common citizen is not burdened,” he said.The CM announced that Muzaffarnagar will soon be upgraded to a Municipal corporation. Saying that it has expanded significantly over time, the CM announced that he has asked it’s MLA Kapil Dev Aggarwal to prepare a proposal, as there is a need to convert Muzaffarnagar from Nagar Palika Parishad to a Municipal Corporation.