Aug 12, 2024 09:26 PM IST
For many decades now, there has been a prejudiced discourse of our freedom struggle, blanking out the selfless contribution of many icons. PM Modi has been justly reclaiming and firmly restoring the right narrative.
On Independence Day, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi will deliver his 11th address from the ramparts of the Red Fort. For the last 77 years, why does the Red Fort have this distinguished place of honour on Independence Day? Built in 1648, this palace fort was the capital of Shahjahanabad. During the 1857 uprising against colonial rule in the country, it emerged as an important symbol of our freedom movement. The British subsequently captured the fort and converted it into a garrison. The intrepid Indian National Army (INA) has a significant connection with Red Fort. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in his historic 1943 Dilli Chalo (Onwards to Delhi) speech delivered in Singapore, had galvanised the Indian community by declaring, “Our task will not end until our surviving heroes hold the victory parade on another graveyard of the British empire, the Lal Kila or Red Fortress of ancient Delhi.”
Towards the end of World War II, the British government court-martialled soldiers of the INA for various charges related to the war. This sparked demonstrations across the country among both civilians and Indians serving in the colonial army. The public trials held at the Red Fort impacted the country’s conscience and ensuing events like the 1946 Naval Uprising. The Red Fort trials stirred a tidal wave of nationalist fervour, etching this monument firmly as a symbol of colonial resistance in the public consciousness.
Other than on August 15, PMs seldom visit the Red Fort. But PM Modi is a rare exception. Three such visits of PM Modi to Red Fort are notable. In a sterling tribute to Netaji’s dauntless quest for India’s freedom, PM Modi declared in 2021 that the nation would commemorate his birth anniversary as Parakram Diwas or Day of Valour. Taking part in this year’s Parakram Diwas celebrations at Red Fort, he honoured Lt. R Madhavan, the only living INA veteran. On January 23, 2019, he inaugurated the Kranti Mandir (temple of revolution), inside Red Fort. This complex comprises the Subash Chandra Bose Museum, 1857- India’s first war of Independence museum, and Yaad-e-Jallian Museum (dedicated to the Jallianwala Bagh incident and Indian soldiers in World War I).
In an unprecedented move, on October 21, 2018, PM Modi hoisted our national flag at Red Fort, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Azad Hind government formed by Netaji Bose in Singapore. The PM’s powerful words on this occasion will echo for posterity. “Today, I can say this with certainty that if our nation was guided by the likes of Subhas Bose and Sardar Patel if it was not looked at from a foreign perspective, then the situation of the country would be much different. It is sad that just to magnify the presence of one family, sons of India — (Sardar Vallabhbhai) Patel, (BR) Ambedkar, and Bose have been obliterated from our national discourse.”
A case in point is the movie Gandhi, which was co-produced by the Indian and British governments when Indira Gandhi was PM. Startlingly, this biopic, running for more than three hours, blanked out mentioning Mahatma Gandhi’s distinguished colleagues like Bose, Ambedkar, who is the architect of our Constitution, and Gandhi’s southern commander and the only Indian governor-general, C Rajagopalachari. All three of them incidentally were fierce opponents of the Congress.
PM Modi’s government has steadfastly honoured Bharat’s valiant luminaries who selflessly sacrificed everything for our nation. Coining the term Panchteerth, PM Modi has ensured that five important places related to Ambedkar’s life are developed as centres of pilgrimage: Janam Bhoomi in Madhya Pradesh, Shiksha Bhoomi in London, Deeksha Bhoomi in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism, Mahaparinirvana Bhoomi in Delhi where he breathed his last, and Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai where he was cremated. The visionary BHIM app for digital transactions is the Union government’s homage to Ambedkar’s economic vision.
To honour Patel, PM Modi, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat pioneered the Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world, which he would inaugurate as PM in 2018. In 2003, Modi was instrumental in bringing back the ashes of the patriot, Shyamji Krishna Verma, from Switzerland to his memorial Kranti Teerth in Gujarat, 73 years after his demise. Modi was the first Indian PM to pay homage to the Singapore INA Memorial marker in 2015. In 2022, his government replaced the old naval flag featuring the Saint George’s Cross with a new naval ensign inspired by the Rajmudra of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The 75-week Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was a moving tribute to all the hitherto unsung and selfless heroes and heroines of our Independence movement.
For many decades now, there has been a prejudiced discourse of our freedom struggle, blanking out the selfless contribution of many icons. PM Modi has been justly reclaiming and firmly restoring the right narrative.
CR Kesavan is national spokesperson of the BJP.The views expressed are personal
Story Saved
