‘We asked for Rs 100 crore, got Rs 10-12 crore Centre must give more’

Punjab tourism affairs minister Navjot Singh Sidhu wants to spruce up the Jallianwala Bagh memorial for the centennial of the massacre. He tells TOI’s Vibhor Mohan about his plans for the centennial programme and expects the Centre to pitch in with more funds
How does the Punjab government plan to commemorate the centenary?

Jallianwala Bagh is a great source of inspiration. The sacrifice of those who laid down their lives there is beyond words. Recalling the event actually raises the emotional quotient to a pinnacle for the cause of national integration and shows to what extent the British went in their cruelty.

Talking of the state government’s plans, we had asked the Prime Minister, who heads the Jallianwala Bagh trust for Rs 100 crore. Rs 10-12 crore has actually been sanctioned and most of it will be used for a laser show. We also need to provide proper facilities for tourists — they need proper shade and other amenities to deal with scorching heat. Let’s get together, rising above party lines, and make this great site of martyrdom a better place. The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement, so everything needs to be improved. Even families of those who were hit by bullets need to be recognized. It’s about betterment of this great place of national integration which inspires all Indians. It can raise our self-esteem. I always feel emotional when I visit it.

The Centre sanctioned around Rs 99 crore for tourism projects in Punjab on Monday. How much of it will be used for Jallianwala Bagh?

Anything in excess of Rs 10 crore. And, Rs 6 crore would be for the laser show alone. We still have one more year to go. If money is allocated now, we can spend it properly.

Do you think it is enough, going by the amount you had sought?

We were thinking that the Prime Minister would announce something. I was pretty sure, but I had asked for Rs 10 crore for tourist facilities. Some 1 lakh people go to the Golden Temple and around 50,000 go to the Jallianwala Bagh daily. Where will you get such a footfall? If you have that many people coming, it can take message to the world.

You have represented Amritsar in Parliament and now you are an MLA from there. Do you feel the monument suffers from poor upkeep?

Absolutely. You go to places like York (in England). They take you there and say, “This is York where the Caesar was crowned” and take £50. It is not bigger than the Jallianwala Bagh. No, I feel that other countries have glorified their places of sacrifice, places from where you draw your inspiration, places that make your inspiration go high. It is not the Government of India alone; the state government too should be spending money to provide facilities.

Actual signs of what transpired there on the Baisakhi day in 1919 seem to be fading, be it the bullet marks or other fixtures.

That is why I believe that a few videos in form of transcriptions and documentaries of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March, cane charge of Lala Lajpat Rai, Nehru’s speech at midnight, can help. That is how Jange-Azadi came up. The younger generation idolizes the reel heroes. You ask them about Shah Rukh Khan and there will be several imitations of ‘Kkkk… Kiran.’ But if you ask them who Ram Prasad Bismil was, I guarantee you seven out of 10 won’t know. Bismil is my hero, Bhagat Singh is my hero, and so are Rajguru and Sukhdev. So is Ashfaqulla Khan who said the noose is my beloved. These people took nothing from us. We must idolize them and connect the younger generation with them.

Have you decided on theme of the event? You’ve said that it should be something to inspire the youth.

Yes, we need to tell them what happened during the course of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Who was Dyer? What did he do? How did he murder hapless people? How Udham Singh went all the way to London to seek revenge — punishing a wrongdoer is justice and he worried about national self-esteem.

Will it be a state-level event next year or would you want the Centre to pitch in?

Jallianwala Bagh is not a national event, it’s international. Even those who have gone abroad, their souls live in India and they have immense respect (for the memorial). Everybody should be involved — it should be an international event, just like Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. These are actually two big upcoming events in Punjab. When a batsman scores a 100, you give him a standing ovation. These are our martyrs — with 100 years of supreme sacrifice in Jallianwala Bagh. The state government also wants former PM Manmohan Singh to be involved in the event.