Lucknow, 9 Aug: Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav has shown the vision of a new India where there is no discrimination against citizens on the basis of caste, creed and religion, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday.
The chief minister also launched the ‘Meri Mati, Mera Desh’ campaign on the occasion of the 98th anniversary of the Kakori Rail Action.
He paid tribute to the revolutionaries, martyrs and the jawans guarding India’s borders as well as the soldiers who contributed towards improving its internal security.
Adityanath urged the people to upload selfies taken at martyrs’ memorials, saying, “The Tricolour is the symbol of our pride. It should be hoisted at every residence.” “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav has shown a vision of a new India where there is no discrimination against any citizen on the basis of caste, creed and religion,” the chief minister said.
Every citizen must take the resolution of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’, he asserted. “Teachers should teach, students study, social workers uplift society and people engaged in administrative work should fulfil their responsibilities honestly. Those who are not discharging their civic duties are cheating the nation.” Though the present generation did not witness the celebration of Independence, they are fortunate to participate in the celebration of its 75th year, the chief minister added.
“We have become the fifth largest economy, replacing Britain that ruled us for 200 years. India is presiding over the G20 and moving towards self reliance. The nation is paving the way for the welfare of humanity in the world,” he said.
It must have been a time of upheaval 98 years ago when people started realising that the days of foreign rule in India were over and revolutionaries such as Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil took forward their resistance movement.
“The money the revolutionaries got in the Kakori Train Action was Rs 4,679. The British government spent Rs 10 lakh from the arrest of the revolutionaries till their hanging. If there is passion, determination and willpower to fight, then the biggest physical force can be brought down. This spirit had forced the despotic regime of that time to surrender,” the chief minister said.
Adityanath also remembered revolutionaries such as Birsa Munda on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (Tribal Day) and said the day is remembered in India for many historical events.
Tribal society played an important role in India’s independence. India is proud of its heritage, he added.
Appealing to the people of the state to join the ‘Meri Mati, Mera Desh’ campaign, the chief minister said every gram panchayat and municipal body will be associated with ‘Panch Pran’.
The chief minister felicitated the families of martyrs of the freedom struggle Thakur Roshan Singh, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi and Ramakrishna Khatri.
He also honoured the families of those killed in the Kargil War.
Adityanath administered the oath of ‘Panch Pran’ during the programme.
The people present took a pledge to make India a self-reliant and developed nation by 2047. Adityanath also planted trees in the Amrit Vatika and visited an exhibition in memory of the martyrs. (PTI)