SBS Nagar, Mar 23 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday said his government will make strenuous efforts for getting martyr status for Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev as he paid tributes to the legendary freedom fighters at Khatkar Kalan here.
Khatkar Kalan is the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh.
Shaheed Diwas or Martyrs’ Day is observed every year on March 23, the day Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru were hanged by the British in the Lahore Central Jail in 1931.
In a brief interaction with the media on the occasion, Mann said Bhagat Singh, who laid down his life in the prime of his youth, was never in doubt that the nation would not be free from the clutches of foreign rulers.
He was worried more about the leaders who would rule the nation after the Independence, said Mann.
Mann said the country was facing many ills like corruption, poverty, inflation and unemployment.
Highlighting the problem of exodus of youth from the state, Mann said they were going to those very countries the natives of which were ousted by Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters after a long freedom struggle.
The CM bemoaned that those who had been at the helm in the country and state had done nothing tangible for realising the dreams of Bhagat Singh.
The real tribute to the martyrs would be to fulfil their dreams, he said, assuring people that his will leave no stone unturned for the progress of the state.
This Herculean task cannot be completed without the support and cooperation of people, he said.
Mann said his government will make strenuous efforts for getting martyr status for Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Mann was interacting with Teji Sandhu, who is the wife of Bhagat Singh’s nephew Abhay Sandhu.
He said it is unfortunate that even after more than 70 years of Independence, this status has not been bestowed on them.
Mann said the entire nation will always be indebted to Bhagat Singh for steering the country out of the clutches of British imperialism.
The CM also visited the museum at Khatkar Kalan and wrote in the visitors’ book, “The sacred land of Khatkar Kalan had always been very near to my heart. The life and personal things showcased in the museum have made me emotional. It is our moral duty to realise the dreams of Shaheed-e-Aazam”.
Mann also felicitated family members of the martyr.
Earlier, the chief minister paid tribute at the Samadhi of Kishan Singh, the father of Bhagat Singh. He also paid floral tributes to the freedom fighter.
Among others who paid tributes at the memorial here were former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress MP Manish Tiwari, MLAs Partap Singh Bajwa and Chaudhary Vikramjit Singh.
Hooda in an interaction with the media recalled his family’s personal association with the family of Bhagat Singh and that of Lala Lajpat Rai.
Hooda said all countrymen should seek inspiration from the lives of the martyrs and should work towards nation building.
He said a nation which does not follow the ideals of its martyrs can never progress and the true tribute to them is to follow the path shown by them.
People from all walks of life and leaders and MLAs from various political parties paid their tributes at the memorial.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mann also paid tributes at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur, where all the three martyrs were cremated after their hanging. PTI COR CHS VSD RDK RDK
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