PM, Shah pay tribute on Partition remembrance day, urge unity
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several other ministers remembered the victims of the 1947 Partition on Friday, the eve of Independence Day.
The Modi Government has been observing August 14 as the ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ since 2021 in remembrance of those who lost their lives in riots after the country’s division and the ensuing exodus.
“Today we mark #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay. We recall the courage of all those who were impacted by Partition. It was a moment in history that tore apart several lives - families were uprooted, loved ones were lost and immense suffering was endured,” Modi said on social media.
The prime minister said that despite the turmoil, people rebuilt their lives from nothing, turned adversity into achievement and contributed to the nation’s progress. Their lives remind everyone of the strength of the human spirit, he said.
“May this day deepen our resolve to preserve harmony and brotherhood in our nation and collectively work towards building a ‘Viksit Bharat’,” Modi said. “Let us further strengthen the national spirit of goodwill and unity,” he said. Home Minister Shah said August 14 stands witness to one of the most brutal chapters in history and the scar of the country’s partition, “which is a gift from the Congress”, will never be forgotten by history.
In a message posted on microblogging site X, Shah said August 14, 1947 stands witness to one of the most brutal chapters in history, in which millions of people had to lose their lives enduring inhuman suffering, and tens of millions were forced to abandon their homes, property, and loved ones and become displaced.
“This scar of the country’s partition, which is a gift from the Congress, will never be forgotten by history. I pay my respectful homage to all those who lost their lives in this catastrophe and to those who struggled against the atrocities,” he said.
Shah said that through Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, the Modi Government is reaching the memories of this tragedy to the youth, so that the forces seeking to divide the country again can never succeed and ‘One India, Excellent India’ becomes our supreme goal.
The BJP paid tributes to the victims of Partition, with its leaders recalling the suffering, displacement and loss endured by millions during the division of the country.
BJP National President Nitin Nabin said the “policy blunders” of the Congress leadership at that time and the “politics of power” inflicted deep wounds on the country’s integrity and dignity.
“On Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, humble tribute to all those victims who endured unbearable suffering and unimaginable tragedies during the country’s partition,” Nabin said on social media.
“The policy blunders of the Congress leadership at that time and the politics of power inflicted deep wounds on the integrity and dignity of Mother India,” he added.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda described Partition as a “tragedy” whose pain is still visible among people, saying the country was divided in the name of religion due to political ambitions and narrow ideologies.
“The Partition of India was a tragedy whose pain still glimmers in the eyes of many even today,” Nadda said in a post on social media. He also recalled families who lost their land and loved ones but helped rebuild the country.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said Partition remains a “dreadful chapter” in India’s history.
“Partition remains a dreadful chapter in our history, one that caused immense suffering, impacted countless lives & left deep scars on generations,” Goyal said.
Union Minister of Jal Shakti C R Patil described Partition as “one of the most excruciating events in Indian history”, saying its pain had been felt across generations.
BJP leader and Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad paid his tributes to those who lost their lives and endured displacement during Partition.
BJP national media in-charge and Lok Sabha MP Anil Baluni said, “On Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, heartfelt salutations to the boundless sacrifices and struggles of all innocent citizens who endured tragedy during displacement, were separated from their roots, and lost their lives, as well as their families.”
