MODI, NAIDU PAY TRIBUTES TO PULWAMA MARTYRS
CRPF says nation will not forget their sacrifice
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday led the nation in paying tributes to the CRPF jawans killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, while the paramilitary force remembered the bravehearts, saying the country "did not forgive" and "will not forget" their supreme sacrifice.
“No Indian can forget this day. Two years ago, the Pulwama attack happened. We pay homage to all the martyrs. We are proud of our security forces and their bravery will continue to inspire generations,” Modi said at an event in Chennai.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were among leaders who remembered the 40 jawans on the second anniversary of the deadly attack, along with film personalities like Akshay Kumar, Varun Dhawan and Rajkumar Rao.
The CRPF held a wreath laying ceremony at its camp in Lethpora in J&K and said the country “did not forgive” and “will not forget” the supreme sacrifice made by the personnel. Senior officers of the force at its headquarters here participated in the event in the virtual mode, CRPF spokesperson Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Moses Dhinakaran said.
"Did not Forgive, will not Forget: Salute to our brothers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation in #PulwamaAttack. Indebted, we stand with the families of our valiant Bravehearts," the force said in a Twitter post.
CRPF Director General AP Maheshwari also unveiled a video book dedicated to the 40 personnel killed in the line of duty. "The video book has a content of 80 episodes and 300 minutes. A copy of the book will also be sent to the families of each of the personnel killed in the Pulwama suicide bombing attack," Dhinakaran said.
PM Modi, “Time and again they have also shown India believes in peace, but India will protect sovereignty at all costs. Sainya shakti and dhairya shakti (strength and courage) of our forces are remarkable."
Paying tributes to the martyrs, Vice President Naidu said he stood in solidarity with the families who lost their loved ones in the incident.
“I join the nation in paying my humble tributes to the CRPF personnel who were martyred in the dastardly Pulwama terror attack. The grateful nation will always remember their patriotism & supreme sacrifice," the Vice President Secretariat tweeted quoting Naidu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually lay the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development works at historical Chittaura Lake in Bahracich district of Uttar Pradesh on the latter’s birth anniversary on February 16.
After a grand show to celebrate Chauri Chaura centenary, the Uttar Pradesh government is organising a big event on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Suheldev. Chief Minister Yogi Aditayanth will be the chief guest at the event to be addressed by the PM.
After breaking away with its ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), the main aim of the ruling BJP behind the mega event is to keep its Rajbhar (a backward caste) vote-bank intact in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. The SBSP had a pre-poll alliance with the BJP in 2017 Assembly poll and it had won four seats.
The SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar was given a berth in the Yogi Cabinet. But before the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP sacked Rajbhar and broke alliance with the SBSP. Three of the SBSP MLAs are still supporting the Yogi Adityanath government in the state. Of late, the SBSP chief is hobnobbing with
Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM and trying to forge an alliance with smaller parties against the saffron party.
Maharaja Suheldev is an icon to the SBSP as Ambedkar is to the BSP and now the BJP wants to snatch away that icon from its ally. It is against this background, the BJP is organising the grand event in Bahraich to lay the foundation stone of Maharaj Suheldev’s memorial with his magnificent equestrian statue. The PM will also lay the foundation stone for the development of Chittaura Lake associated with the backward King who had defeated Syed Salaar Masood in a battle at the banks of the historical lake in 1033 AD.
A senior officer said the lake will be developed as a tourist spot with amenities such as guest house, cafeteria, children’s park. “The main aim is to let people know about the heroic saga of Maharaja Suheldev and his devotion and services to the country,” said the officer.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is likely to announce a few development programmes for Bahraich and adjoining Shravasti, the area ruled by Maharaja Suheldev. The BJP has already issued a postage stamp and a train in the name of the ruler.
The BJP is also projecting the King as a devoted Hindu and saviour of cows.