New Delhi: Politics invariably gets the better of us. At the inaugural of the National War Memorial, a solemn occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not help pointing out that it had taken India seven decades to acquire one – an oblique reference to the Congress and its misplaced ‘priorities.’
Even as most were ready to excuse the referencing of the political inertia in the Congress dispensations, PM Modi was soon firing on all cylinders. Not mincing words, he projected the Gandhi family as one which had always short changed the armed forces — from bullet-proof jackets to helicopters and now the Rafale fighter jets.
“Is it the nation first or the family first,” he demanded during his address. The Congress, in turn, lost no time in saying that PM Modi had turned the event into an election rally. Slamming the Prime Minister for the rhetoric, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote on Twitter, “There is a certain dignity and solemnness to the occasion dealing with a place commemorating the valour and sacrifice of our soldiers.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi lights eternal fire at the National War Memorial (NWM) after the interfaith prayers, during its inauguration ceremony at India Gate complex in New Delhi, Monday, Feb 25, 2019. (PIB/PTI Photo) (STORY DEL37) (PTI2_25_2019_000201B)
That was destroyed by Modi, who can’t think beyond his personal PR, politics and votes, even when it is about martyrs.’’ PM Modi also said, “Khud ko Bharat ka bhagyavidhata samjhne waale logon ne rashtra ke suraksha se khilwad karne mein koi kasar nahi chodi. (Those who considered themselves as the makers of Bharat toyed with its national security.) In 2009, forces demanded 186,000 bulletproof jackets, but faced the enemy without them.
Our government has, in 4.5 years, bought over 230,000 bulletproof jackets.” The Congress had only one poser: Would the CRPF jawans at Pulwama have lived if they were wearing bullet- proof jackets? Built near the India Gate — a British-built memorial to Indian soldiers who fell in the First World War — the National War Memorial comprises four concentric circles with a central obelisk.
The circles have been named the “Amar Chakra”, the “Veerta Chakra”, the “Tyag Chakra” and the ”Rakshak Chakra” and the names of 25,942 soldiers have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets. The Prime Minister dedicated the memorial – – built at a cost of Rs. 176 crore — to the martyrs by lighting the flame at the bottom of the obelisk.