Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh speaks during the ‘Sindhi Samaj Sammelan’ in New Delhi on November 23, 2025. | Photo credit: PTI
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday (Nov 23, 2025) said that while Sindh is no longer a geographical part of India, it remains an integral part of India’s civilizational heritage.
Addressing a community function, he said, “Today the land of Sindh may not be a part of India, but civilizationally, Sindh will always be a part of India. And as far as the land is concerned, the borders may change. Who knows, tomorrow Sindh may return to India again.”
Referring to senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, who was himself born in Sindh, Singh said Advani wrote about how Sindh Hindus of his generation never fully accepted the separation of Sindh from India. “Not only in Sindh, but across India, Hindus considered the Indus River sacred. Many Muslims in Sindh also believed that the water of the Indus was no less sacred than the Aab-e-Zamzam in Makkah,” he quoted.
Singh reiterated that people of Sindhi descent “will always remain our own, no matter where they live”.
The unpleasant situation of minorities
The defense minister also spoke at length about the plight of minorities in neighboring countries. He said these communities had been subjected to violence, forced conversions and displacement and criticized past “appeasement governments” for denying them proper rehabilitation in India.
“Those who really deserved compassion didn’t get the rights they needed,” he said. Singh added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi understood their suffering, which led to the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
He noted that the government had allowed persecuted minorities from neighboring countries to remain in India “without passports until 2024, enabling them to live with dignity”.
Recalling the Supreme Court’s 2005 judgment that upheld the inclusion of the word “Sindh” in the national anthem, Singh said the decision reaffirmed the region’s cultural and civilizational significance regardless of current borders.
He also criticized the Congress leadership during Partition, saying it was ignoring the security concerns of Hindus in Sindh and discouraging their migration to India.
He called Sindhis descendants of the Indus Valley Civilization and said it was “unacceptable” for such a community to live as “second-class citizens” for decades after partition.
The defense minister praised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for supporting Sindhi Hindus during the tumultuous years after Partition, including providing self-defense training.
Concluding his speech, Singh urged the community to continue contributing to India’s cultural and economic progress. He wished them a bright future and assured that the government would continue to support them.
Published – 23 Nov 2025 21:34 IST
