Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday paid tribute to martyrs Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Raj Guru at the native place of legendary martyr Bhagat Singh here at a State-level function.
The Chief Minister also felicitated the niece of Shaheed Bhagat Singh — Raminder Kaur Mann and nephew of Shaheed Sukhdev — Vinod Thapar.
Reiterating the commitment of State Government to perpetuate the rich legacy of the great martyrs and freedom fighters of the country, Badal said that the “Jang-e-Azaadi” memorial would be constructed within two years by the State Government to showcase the supreme sacrifices of the Punjabis in the national freedom struggle.
He said that the memorial which would come up in Kartarpur near Jalandhar at a cost of Rs200 crore would be a befitting tribute to the great heroes of India’s freedom movement.
The Chief Minister took a dig at the Congress saying that it was totally apathetic towards the contribution of Shaheed Bhagat Singh in the national freedom struggle due to which its leaders have not bothered to organise a function to pay tribute to this true son of soil here at his native village.
Badal said the Congress could have planned the coronation ceremony of its new President on some other day rather than giving a miss to such a historic day.
He added that the Congress never acknowledged the valuable contribution of these martyrs in national freedom struggle and its absence was a testimony to it.
lauding the contribution of the State in Indian Independence movement, the Chief Minister said that Punjab had rich treasure in the form of martyrs who had made selfless contributions for attaining the independence for the country.
"We should feel proud of the fact that despite of having a population of only 2.5 per cent in the country, Punjab constitutes 80 per cent of the total number of martyrs in the freedom struggle," he added.
Hooda lauds sacrifices of freedom fighters
Ambala: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Saturday paid tribute to the martyrs saying that the society that remembers the sacrifices of its freedom fighters could only make progress. He said that he would dedicate his entire life to realise their dreams. Hooda was addressing a Shaheedi Diwas programme organised on the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev here. Former Union Minister and MlA Ambala City, Venod Sharma was the convener of the event.
Recalling the contribution made by the freedom fighters, Hooda said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev had laid down their lives on the same day. Shaheed Bhagat Singh was the first revolutionary who had infused a sense of self respect and pride amongst the people through his slogan ‘Inkalab Jindabad’. He set a unique example of sacrifice and patriotism, he added. While describing Ambala as a historical city, Hooda said that before Meerut, the first light of revolution of 1857 was ignited from Ambala.