Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has stated that India wishes to keep cordial ties with all of its neighbours, but not at the expense of the nation’s security.
On Friday, he was inaugurating the 90th Sivagiri pilgrimage in Varkala. The Defence Minister’s comments gain relevance in light of the most recent border clashes between China and India in the nation’s northeast.
Rajnath emphasised the value of preserving positive connections with neighbouring nations by quoting former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as saying, ‘We can change our friends, but not our neighbours.’
However, he emphasised that there will be no compromise on national security. According to Rajnath, Indian soldiers passionately protect the nation’s boundaries by upholding the teachings of spiritual figures like Sree Narayana Guru.
Rajnath said, while he was serving as the Defense Minister and safeguarding the nation’s ‘flesh,’ Sivagiri’s spiritual leaders were doing the same for the nation’s ‘soul.’ A nation can only endure if both its body and soul are secure, he added. Additionally, Rajanth promised that progress on the Union government’s 17 crore rupees worth of initiatives for the development of Sivagiri will be accelerated.
The teachings of Sree Narayana Guru, which are based on the Vedas and Upanishads, contradict the claims made by those with limited interests that they have nothing to do with ‘sanatana dharma,’ said Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan.
He also attributed the rise in alcohol and drug use, violence, and other bad behaviour in the state dubbed as the ‘land of the free’ to state government policies.
The event was presided over by Swami Satchidananda, president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust. Every year, from December 30 to January 1, a three-day pilgrimage is made to Sivagiri, the ultimate resting place of revered spiritual teacher and social reformer Sree Narayana Guru.
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