Vice-President Krishan Kant led the nation in recalling the heroic deeds of Ahom\\'s Army General Lachit Barphukan, who repulsed the Mughal attacks, must be given his place of pride as a national hero.
The Assam Foundation, Delhi organized the function. “For the sheer quality of his sacrifice for his motherland, he will rank among the greatest in the world;\\" the Vice-President said. Recalling the incident which is part of both Assam\\'s history and folklore, when Lachit Barphukan, the Army General of Ahom king Chakradhwaj Singha had beheaded his maternal uncle for dereliction of duty while preparing to face the Mughal, Mr. Krishan Kant said, \\"His execution of his own uncle for not showing sufficient dedication to the war effort was not just an act of impulse but a reminder to his soldiers that in the service of one\\'s country, it is not possible to adopt double standards of judgement.\\"
Assam Governor Lt.Gen. (Retd.) S. K. Sinha was more forthright in his remarks. He started his speech by making the sensational observation, \\"... historians have neglected Assam but history has not. Our history textbooks give details of the Indus Valley civilisation, the Ganges Valley civilisation and the Cauvery Valley civilisation, but they hardly mention the Brahmaputra Valley civilisation, when the history of Assam is unique. Unlike other Indian states, Assam did not succumb to the invasions of Delhi Sultans of Mughal Emperors.\\"
Talking about the achievements of Assam, the Governor said,\\"During the medieval period, Assam was one and the only State of India which kept the successors of these conquerors at bay. No doubt the geographical remoteness of Assam helped the Assamese in beating back seventeen invasions, starting from the invasion of Bakhtiar Khilji.\\"
Talking about the warrior, Lt. Gen. Sinha said, \\"Lachit Barphukan was a military leader in the mould of Rana Pratap and Shivaji. All three fought against Mughal imperialism. While Rana Pratap\\'s forte was burning patriotism, Shivaji and Lachit Barphukan demonstrated outstanding military skills. They were near contemporaries. One thwarted the Mughal expansion in the south and the other did so in the east. Some Mughal leaders like Shiasta Khan and Raja Ram Singh interacted with both Shivaji and Lachit Barphukan. The fact that Rana Pratap and Shivaji are household names throughout our country and Lachit Barphukan is hardly known outside Assam shows the neglect of Assam by historians.\\"

Talking about the heroics of Lachit Barphukan, the Assam Governor said, \\"Shivaji introduced a new concept of insurgency warfare which was refined in the 20th century by Mao-Tse Tung and Ho-Chi-Min. Lachit Barphukan demonstrated how through elaborate preparation and use of terrain, a weaker army can defeat a superior army. He also showed exemplary loyalty to his king and outstanding leadership in the battle.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi almost echoed the views of the Governor. Lamenting over the fact that Assam still remains less known, less understood for people outside the State, Mr. Gogoi said,\\" Assam is a very ancient land with distinct culture and civilisation of its own. If properly studied and understood, it will be an object of amazement, admiration and inspiration for the entire Indian nation. The history of Assam tells us that the most striking feature of the people of Assam is their intense love of freedom and self-respect.\\"
\\"The evolution of history and civilisation in Assam is marked by her people\\'s unique traits of liberalism and assimilation. Although it is located in the remote Northeastern region, the people, over all the past centuries, have accepted unhesitatingly all the good things that the Aryan civilisation of the Gangetic valley had to offer. Open-mindedness has brought Assam to the cultural hegemony of India without, of course, making her lose her own distinct traits and characteristics. The people living in other parts of the country have many things to learn from the redeeming elements of the history and civilisation of Assam that sprang up on the banks of the Brahmaputra. This will help each other in knowing intimately thereby strengthening of our national integration. The bravery and patriotism of Lachit Barphukan can definitely make every Indian feel proud of, \\" the Chief Minister said.
Assam Assembly Speaker and chairman of the Assam Foundation Ganesh Kutum finds a similarity between Lachit Barphukan and Gopinath Bardoloi. Mr. Kutum said, \\"Lachit Barphukan and Gopinath Bardoloi lived on either side of three centuries in very different times, fighting in different ways, different foes. One fought his enemies militarily, with bravery and personal leadership, the other fought them with political strategy and foresight. Both contributed to an independent nation.\\"
Meanwhile Indian Army has agreed in principle to institute a Lachit Barphukan Prize at the National Defence Academy.