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PM Modi, Ashok Gehlot share stage in Rajasthan: ‘We worked together as CMs’
The two leaders were together at an incident linked to the Mangarh incident.
Rajasthan saw a rare political moment on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared stage with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot when the two leaders exchanged their experiences and recalled the century-old Mangarh massacre. The Prime Minister declared the Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan as a national monument where the British forces - on November 17, 1913 - gunned down more than 1,500 people of the Bhil community.
As the Rajasthan CM drew parallels between the Mangarh incident and Jallianwala Bagh incident in Punjab, counted as a blot on the colonial rule, PM Modi said: "Unfortunately, the struggle of the Tribal community was not recognised post-independence. India's past, present and future would not be complete without tribal society. Every page of our freedom struggle, the pages of history are full of tribal valor. Mangarh Dham is symbol of tenacity, sacrifice of tribals, we are indebted to sacrifices made by them."
The Mangarh memorial is a heritage for Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra too, he added.
The prime minister also recalled working together with the seasoned Congress leader. “Ashok ji (Gehlot) and I have worked together as chief ministers. He was the senior-most in our lot. He is still one of the senior-most chief ministers among those who are sitting on the stage right now,” PM Modi said during the event. Among other leaders on the stage were Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Earlier, in his address, Gehlot had said: "...When PM Modi goes abroad, he receives great honour. Because he's the premier of the nation of Gandhi, where democracy is deep-rooted. When world realises this, they feel proud that the prime miniister of that country is coming to them..."
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
