'Ajit Doval Was PM Modi’s First Appointment in 2014, Even Before Principal Secy': Amit Shah Presents National Award To NSA

Pune, Maharashtra: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday conferred the Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026 on National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, praising his pivotal contributions to India’s national security and public service.

Speaking at the ceremony in Pune, Shah revealed that when Narendra Modi assumed office as Prime Minister in 2014, Doval’s appointment as NSA was the very first decision he took, even ahead of selecting the Principal Secretary.

"In every decision of PM Modi for national security, Ajit Doval has had a 'role and advice' in the background…Whenever the history of PM Modi’s tenure is written, and whenever an analysis of internal and external security is undertaken, a ‘golden page’ will undoubtedly have to be reserved for Ajit Doval,” Shah said.

He added that India now has a foreign policy with a backbone, a fact no one can deny.

Shah shared a personal anecdote from his time as Gujarat Home Minister. Following a series of bomb blasts, then Chief Minister Narendra Modi directed him to consult Doval, whom Shah had never met before.PM Modi insisted the Gujarat Police look beyond the immediate incident and examine the wider network behind blasts across the country. The insights Doval provided proved decisive: the Gujarat Police went on to crack not only the Ahmedabad blasts but also 13 bomb blasts from various parts of India.

Linking the occasion to Maharashtra’s legacy, Shah recalled that it was from this land that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj proclaimed ‘Swaraj’. Lokmanya Tilak, he said, mobilised the masses for Swaraj and independence and introduced a new dimension of cultural nationalism into the freedom struggle.

“He transformed the concept of nationalism into cultural nationalism… Today, the nation has indeed embarked upon the path of cultural nationalism. There is no turning back now. The country will continue to move forward along this very path,” Shah affirmed.

Paying tribute to Tilak, Shah described him as a teacher, a strong advocate of national education, a fearless journalist whose writings in Kesari exemplified courage, and a thinker who expressed the soul of India to the world.

The award recognises Doval’s long-standing service in strengthening India’s internal and external security architecture.