Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said world peace could not be achieved without nations building strong defence capabilities, asserting that only the powerful could protect the righteous. Bhagwat was speaking at the Nag Bhushan Puraskar 2025 event, where he conferred the awards on Padma Shri Satyanarayan Nuwal and Yuva Nag Bhushan Puraskar 2025 on young athlete Daksh Khante, in the presence of Union minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.Bhagwat said, “Our culture says let the world be prosperous. But if we keep saying this while demons rise in the world, we will have to deal with them too. By being powerful, the righteous can be protected. And that is exactly the contribution of Nuwal.” He said future of nations would be determined not by economic size but by defence strength, and that India needed to build this capability to ensure global stability.Bhagwat also warned that power in the wrong hands led only to harm. “Those who lack character use knowledge to breed conflict, use power to oppress the weak and use wealth for their own indulgence. But the virtuous use knowledge to enlighten, power to protect and wealth to give,” he said. Bhagwat said the world witnessed how even nations with great strength but poor leadership faltered, and that the imbalance between the powerful and the virtuous was a growing concern.Bhagwat said both Nuwal and Khante demonstrated that achievement carried meaning only when accompanied by humility and gratitude. “What Nuwal has done, what Khante has done — the glory is theirs. But we too feel a sense of glory. We have done nothing; they have done it all. Yet we Nagpur people feel proud. It makes us feel that it can happen here in Nagpur, it can happen in India,” he said. The RSS chief added that 90% of any success comes from hard work and perseverance, and that such examples build belief and hope in the next generation.Chief minister Fadnavis said Solar Industries led by Nuwal was developing weapons and technology that no other country in the world currently possessed. “Many things they are making do not exist anywhere else in the world today — they will be made for the first time in our country, right here in Nagpur, at Solar Industries,” he said, adding the company played a significant role in Operation Sindoor. He traced Nuwal’s journey from humble beginnings, recalling that when Nuwal entered the defence sector, powerful import lobbies long blocked private sector entry. On the award, Fadnavis added that the Nag Bhushan Puraskar 2025 had been finalized before Nuwal was bestowed with Padma Shri.Union minister Gadkari said the standing of nations in future would be determined by their defence capabilities alone. “Drones and missiles are now the defining elements of any country’s arsenal and companies like Solar Industries are helping India match the world’s leading defence powers,” said Gadkari. He added that India’s culture and heritage had never made it an expansionist power, but strength was essential — for self-defence and for protecting others.
