The appropriation of Bhagat Singh by political parties is not new in the state. (File) Days after AAP leader Bhagwant Mann took oath as Chief Minister of Punjab at the native village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, now the BJP will hold functions at 306 places in Haryana on March 23 to commemorate Shaheed Divas. Three freedom fighters – Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev – were hanged to death by the British in the Lahore Jail on March 23, 1931.
“Now on this day,” Haryana BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar said, “the BJP will call its newly added young members at the mandal level events to remember the contribution of the freedom fighters.”
Dhankar told The Indian Express: “With the help of such events, we will discuss and highlight the contribution of revolutionaries in the freedom struggle of the country. Their contribution needs to be brought into the public domain prominently as Congress had projected only its role played during the freedom struggle.”
BJP leaders hope for a gathering of nearly 1,000 persons at every event which is being held under the tagline “mera rang de basanti chola”.
Not only this, Dhankar will also lead a group of 100 partymen, mostly newly added youth to the party fold, to visit the native places of the freedom fighters, including Bhagat Singh on March 19-20.
Haryana BJP spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said: “Each party member will contribute Rs 6,000 for this ‘shaheed naman yatra’ as this is not being funded either by the party or the government.”
BJP leaders claim that the results of Assembly elections in four states in the favour of the saffron party have encouraged the morale of the partymen in Haryana too.
Before this, the BJP had organised Tiranga Yatras in Haryana in August 2021 when the state was witnessing an intense farmer agitation. The Tiranga Yatras were aimed at “creating passion for patriotism among youths”. This year, the state BJP also celebrated the 125th birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose on January 23.
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