National Security Advisor (NSA) of India Ajit Doval was conferred with the prestigious ‘Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026’ by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (August 1) in Pune.
The awards, named after legendary freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, honour those who work with a nationalist vision and are handed out on the death anniversary of the man who coined the term, “Swaraj is my Birthright, and I Shall have it.”
Golden Page In History Reserved For Doval
Addressing the award ceremony, Shah felt that Doval’s contributions to India’s security and foreign policy have earned him a permanent place in the nation’s history.
“Whenever history is written, if anyone analyses internal security and external security, then clearly, for Ajit Doval ji, a golden page will have to be kept reserved; there is no doubt about this,” Shah said.
The Ahmedabad Blast Connection
Shah shared an anecdote of his first meeting with Doval following the Ahmedabad Blast in 2008.
“I had no acquaintance with Ajit ji. Narendra Modi ji was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time; he had said that this was not just a bomb blast–behind the bomb blast, the police of Gujarat must investigate the people and the blasts that have occurred across the country, and you should call Ajit Doval ji and discuss it with your officers,” he said.
“I remember Ajit ji had come to my house; it was afternoon, and the tips he gave resulted in Gujarat Police resolving not just the Ahmedabad bomb blast, but 13 bomb blasts across the country all at once – this was a very great achievement,” added Shah, who was Gujarat Home Minister at the time.
Backbone of steel
Since assuming the role of NSA in 2014, which was also the first term of the Narendra Modi Govt, Shah emphasised that Doval has made the Indian national security and foreign policy have a backbone, which lacked in the previous governments.
“When he became Prime Minister in 2014, he made his first appointment… he appointed Ajit Doval ji as the NSA. Today, India’s foreign policy has become a foreign policy with a backbone of steel; no one can deny this,” said Shah.