Chandigarh, May 17 -- Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday announced that a study centre and a chair in the name of Maharana Pratap will be established at Kurukshetra University.

Besides, the name of the Government Women's College at Baragarh in Shahzadpur area of Ambala district will be changed to Maharani Padmavati Government College, he said.

The chief minister made these announcements at a state-level function organized at Shahzadpur to mark the Maharana Pratap Jayanti.

He also announced Rs 5 crore for various development works in the Naraingarh assembly constituency, Rs 31 lakh for the construction of a Rajput Hostel and building a pucca drain in Shahzadpur.

Earlier, Saini also unveiled a renovated statue of Maharana Pratap. Governor of Mizoram, General V K Singh (retd), also attended the function.

Saini said that Maharana Pratap was such a great warrior that merely taking his name fills every heart with a wave of patriotism. He said Maharana Pratap was born in the Rajput community at a time when Indian society was overshadowed by injustice and oppression and efforts were being made to destroy our glorious culture and hurt religious sentiments.

The great warrior inherited bravery and valour from Maharana Kumbha and Rana Sanga and after assuming power in Mewar, set unparalleled examples of courage and heroism. His horse 'Chetak' and elephant 'Ramprasad' were also extraordinary like him and set examples of sacrifice, Saini said.

The chief minister further said that when Maharana Pratap assumed power in Mewar, half of Mewar had already come under Mughal rule. "To liberate his birthplace and 'karmabhoomi' from the Mughals, Maharana Pratap spent nearly 20 years in forests. He had to eat grass 'rotis' but never accepted defeat," Saini said. He said the Rajput community has given great rulers to the country. The community holds a leading place among those who sacrificed for the honour, pride and dignity of the nation during India's freedom struggle and after Independence, Saini said. The chief minister said that the "life of Maharana Pratap gives us the message that as long as self-respect remains alive, our soul remains alive".

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.