By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 21 Jan: A joint statement was released at a press conference here, today, by Gaurav Vallabh, Spokesperson, Indian National Congress, Captain Balvir Singh Rawat and Rajiv Mehrishi.
It stated that the ‘Amar Jawan Jyoti’ was burning continuously for the last 50 years. It was a symbol of bravery, sacrifice and self-respect, but today it was extinguished. The new address of Amar Jyoti established for 50 years at India Gate would now be the War Memorial.
“When the symbolic place of martyrs’ sacrifice and valour is changed to build a king’s palace and the flame that burns relentlessly is extinguished, it not only tells the story of that king’s arbitrariness but also the respect in his heart towards the martyrs,” they declared. They asked how much respect is there for the martyrs has been revealed. In this context, they claimed that hundreds of martyrs were insulted by holding a laser show in Jallianwala Bagh. Efforts are being made to change heritage like Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad which recalls Mahatma Gandhi’s sacrifice and dedication towards the country.
“Is the purpose of displacing the Amar Jawan Jyoti only to build the Central Vista (Modi Mahal)?” they asked.
It was argued that, just as the BJP government did not consider it necessary to consult the farmers before the farm laws, in the same way, even before such a big decision, it did not consider it necessary to consult the families of the martyrs even once.
They recalled that, after the Indo-Pak war of 1971, this Amar Jawan Jyoti was established by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in honour of the brave Indian soldiers as a symbol of the indomitable courage, valor and sacrifice of the Indian Army.
They asked why the Government of India could not have the flames at two places to honour the bravery and sacrifice. They also alleged that the present BJP government also dropped the name of Indira Gandhi in the official program of Vijay Diwas on 16 December, 2021.
“You will extinguish the flame, but how will you extinguish the flame of respect and dedication for Mrs Indira Gandhi and the Indian Army in the hearts of crores of Indians?” they asked.
