E-Paper
‘Applaud the grit’: Modi leads tributes to victims of Partition
The Prime Minister had announced last year that August 14 will be observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid homage to all those who suffered during the 1947 Partition, referred to their resilience and grit and assured that their pain will never be forgotten.
“Today, on #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay, I pay homage to all those who lost their lives during partition, and applaud the resilience as well as grit of all those who suffered during that tragic period of our history,” he tweeted.
He had announced last year that August 14 will be observed as ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of people.
Union home minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda were among those who also paid tribute on Sunday.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, Shah highlighted the violence and horrors of the partition, saying that “inhuman” chapter of India’s history can never be forgotten.
‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’ will remind the younger generation the torture and pain suffered by the countrymen and will inspire citizens to maintain peace and harmony “forever”, he added.
“The partition of the country in 1947 is that inhuman chapter of the Indian history which can never be forgotten. The violence and hatred claimed millions of lives and displaced innumerable people. Today, on ‘Partition Horrors Remembrance Day’, I bow to the lakhs of people who suffered the brunt of partition,” he wrote.
“Today on #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay I solemnly remember those who paid an unbearable price during Partition. We must never forget how politics of selfishness & personal interests led to Partition & pain,” BJP chief Nadda tweeted. Later in the day, he participated in a silent march from from Jantar Mantar to Connaught Place in the national capital to mark the event.
In Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated an exhibition in the Hazratganj area in Lucknow to pay respect to those affected by the Partition.
In Harayana, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar addressed a gathering in Kurukshetra where he announced that a memorial would be built in the city to commemorate the lives of those impacted by the Partition.
Claiming that those farmers who arrived in India at the time were given pieces of barren land, the chief minister said: “With their hard work, they made such land productive...unfortunately, the tragedy is that even 75 years after independence, they have not got any right on those lands.”
“We will consider this... at least those who have been tilling such land for 75 years deserve to get some rights over it,” he said.
Last week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had inaugurated an exhibition on the theme ‘Horrors of Partition’ at the Parliament Library Building.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and Union culture minister, G Kishan Reddy, were among the leaders present.
Speaking to HT in July, BJP national general secretary, Dushyant Gautam had said the intent of the initiative is to remember and pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom and to those who had dreamt of living in an independent India.
“In the history of the country, many events took place where personal ambitions overrode national concerns. On August 14, we will observe the Vibhajan Vibhishika Divas and tell people how those who fought for our freedom had envisioned an Akhand Bharat. They made sacrifices for the sake of building a strong nation. However, because of one man’s stubbornness to become the prime minister, the country was divided into two and it is very sad that along with the division, nearly 1-1.5 million people lost their lives,” he had said.
