New Delhi, June 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation via the 45th edition of his monthly radio address - Mann Ki Baat. The key highlights of his 30-minute monologue was his reference to Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan, along with the recalling of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee on his death anniversary. Here are the key highlights:

- 'Rashid Khan is our pride': PM Modi, while referring to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's erstwhile tweet where he casually remarked that Afghanistan would not be "giving away Rashid Khan" to India, said "Rashid is not only the pride of Afghanistan, but also of India. He is an asset to the entire cricketing world. His performance was exemplary in the IPL as well."

Modi also referred to the test match played in the past week between India and Afghanistan. "The winning Indian cricket team showed sportsmanship in asking the Afghanistan team to pose together for photographs. Sports is an excellent route to unite society and to showcase skills of our youth," Modi was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

- Syama Prasad Mookerjee's West Bengal connection: The Prime Minister recalled the contributions of Mookerjee, who was the founder of Jan Sangh, the predecessor of BJP. Mukherjee's 65th death anniversary was observed yesterday, on June 23.

Modi emphasised on his connection with West Bengal, saying, "Few people are aware that he was the youngest-ever vice-chancellor of Calcutta University." Mookerjee was always concerned about the development of West Bengal, particularly in the realm of education, the PM said.

- Sant Kabir Jayanti: PM Modi paid tributes to mystic poet Sant Kabir, whose writings have inspired Hinduism's Bhakti movement, along with Sikhism. On his birth anniversary celebrations, which will be observed in several states between June 25 to July 1, the PM said he would be personally visiting Maghar in Uttar Pradesh where Sant Kabir took samadhi.

From Maghar, where Modi will address a public rally on June 28, he is also expected to launch the BJP's election campaign for 2019.

Among other major takeaways from the Prime Minister's address was his applause of the Indian forces for participating in the Yoga Day despite challenging circumstances. "It was a matter of great pride for Indians to witness our armed forces perform yoga on land, sea and sky - in submarines; on the snowy mountainous terrain of Siachen and even in mid-air, some 15 thousand feet above the earth," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2018 11:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).