In the history of India, the third battle of Panipat is of great significance. However, it appears as if most of the Indians do not acknowledge the importance of it. The battle which was fought between the Marathas and Ahmed Shah Abdali with two of his Indian Muslim allies- the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab and Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh- shaped the subsequent history of India. This battle is considered to be one of India’s fiercest in the 18th century. The battle marked a decline of the Maratha Empire and left behind it, the long-lasting ramifications on the politics of India.

During the time of the third battle of Panipat, Marathas were arguably the strongest power in India and were expanding their borders at an unprecedented pace. Their defeat in the battle resulted in the destruction of the ‘on a rise’ Maratha Empire and they could never gain back the might after the battle was over. The defeat of Marathas left a void in the Northern region which was later on exploited by the Britishers to establish their ‘Brutish rule’. This one single battle robbed India of its only chance in a long time of a United Hindu Empire and for the next 200 years forced them in the subservience of foreign rulers. The only power which could have prevented the colonization of India were the Marathas. If the Marathas had not lost the war, the India of today must have been different for sure.

There were many reasons behind the defeat of the Marathas, however, the main reason which contributed to the victory of opponents was the disunity among Hindus. At the time of the battle, Hindus were divided while on the other side, Muslims were united under a single banner and Marathas fought alone and thus, suffered defeat in the crucial battle of Panipat. With the defeat of Marathas, a new phrase became mainstream in Marathi language,”Iska to Panipat ho gaya (He’s been defeated).”

In 2019, something similar is at stake for the Hindus. As the BJP President Amit Shah has said, “2019 will be a decisive contest. Like in the third Battle of Panipat, the Marathas that had won 131 battles lost one decisive battle which led to 200 years of colonial slavery.” 2019 Lok Sabha election is the battle of survival and revival of the Hindu identity against the forces that bear more than a resemblance to the then invaders. Since the independence, the anti-Hindu forces have left no stone unturned to destroy the Hindu civilization and its identity. They have continued the cultural colonization and always promoted anti-Hindu forces through various means. In 2014, such anti-Hindu forces suffered humiliating defeat but they seem to be raising their heads again and are coming up with their allies in order to defeat a party concerned for Hindus. Such anti-Hindu forces might not be foreign but they have been more averse to the Hindu customs and identity than a foreign invader. If the colonisation of minds of Hindus is to be stopped, 2019 appears to be the only chance for the Sanatanis to do so. 2019 elections are not going to be a political battle but a civilisational one as well. The fourth battle of Panipat is going to be fought between the BJP and Mahagathbandhan.

The leftist media is trying their level best to oust PM Modi out of power, if they succeed in their mission then terrorist attacks like 26/11 will be part and parcel of our daily news, we will again hear about big scams, radical Islamists like Zakir Naik will be promoted, Hindu terror narrative will be perpetuated again with renewed zeal, era of nauseating minority appeasement will be back, economy and growth would suffer a serious setback, ‘family interest’ would be given priority over national interest, mollycoddling of Pakistan will return and so will the political instability of an alliance partners of which have little in common.

Not just Lutyens’ media, there is another set of people who wants to defeat PM Modi in 2019 Lok Sabha elections- NOTA warriors. Most of the people who are campaigning enthusiastically for the NOTA claim that they are ex-BJP supporters and they are now angry with the BJP so that’s why they are going for the NOTA option. Now, this argument is absurd at all the levels. If you think everyone is bad except you then it is always better to go for lesser worse. As Ayn Rand has said: “There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” She further says, “The man who is wrong still retains some respect for truth, if only by accepting the responsibility of choice. But the man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to sit out the course of any battle, willing to cash in on the blood of the innocent or to crawl on his belly to the guilty, who dispenses justice by condemning both the robber and the robbed to jail, who solves conflicts by ordering the thinker and the fool to meet each other halfway. In any compromise between food and poison, it is only death that can win. In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit. In that transfusion of blood which drains the good to feed the evil, the compromise is the transmitting rubber tube.” Perhaps these set of people need to be reminded that Marathas were defeated in the Battle of Panipat because other Hindu kings refused to join them against the foreign invaders. This neutrality became the cause of defeat and the subsequent subservience of the Hindus for more than two centuries. As it turned out, neutrality in the face of evil was akin to complicity.

Every vote counts. Vote for strong and stable government at the Centre, and a man who has shown signs of changes in his 4.5 years of governance rather than indirectly bringing a party which gave nothing to the nation except organized loot, poverty and promoted the anti-Hindu and anti-India forces.

It is up to the voters of India to decide which side of history they want to be on.