PM: Chauri Chaura martyrs not given their due in history
In Chauri Chaura centenary celebrations, effort has been made to promote local culture and arts. It will be our tribute to the freedom fighters, says Modi
LUCKNOW : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said it was unfortunate that those who laid down their life in the Chauri Chaura incident on February 4, 1922 were not given their due in history.
The Prime Minister was speaking after inaugurating virtually the Chauri Chaura centenary celebrations at Chauri Charua town, 26 km from Gorakhpur.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his ministers, local leaders and a large number of people had gathered at the Shaheed Smarak there to pay tributes to the freedom fighters.
Modi welcomed the gathering in the local Bhojpuri dialect. Paying tribute to the freedom fighters, he invoked Baba Gorakhnath (who started the nath panth) and Deoraha Baba (a revered saint of east UP).
Modi said a hundred years ago what happened at Chauri Chaura was not merely an incident of arson at a police station. The message of Chauri Chaura was big and wide. Earlier, whenever there was talk of the Chauri Chaura, it was seen as a minor arson incident. But what conditions led to the arson is also important, he said.
The fire was not only set in the police station but in the heart of the people. “Today, the historical struggle of Chauri Chaura is being given a place in history of the country,” Modi said and added that the efforts of the Uttar Pradesh government and chief minister Yogi Adityanath should be appreciated.
The Chauri Chaura incident was a spontaneous movement launched by the common people.
It’s unfortunate that the contribution of the people who laid down their life is not discussed in annals of freedom struggle. Their sacrifice gives inspiration to Indians. They came from different backgrounds, villages and were of different age groups but were brave sons of country, he said.
In the freedom struggle, there are only a few instances when so many -- 19 freedom fighters were hanged in Chauri Chaura – freedom fighters got capital punishment.
The British government was bent on hanging hundreds of freedom fighters, but due to the initiative of Baba Raghva Das and Pandit Madan Mohan Malivya around 150 people were saved from being hanged.
The centre has invited young writers to write books and documents on the occasion of 75 years of Independence. “In the Chauri Chaura centenary celebrations, effort has been made to promote local culture and arts. It will be our tribute to the freedom fighters. The power of our unity broke the chain of bondage, this unity has become the base of ‘atma nirbhar’ (selfreliant) India,” he said.