‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ has shown a vision of a new India where there is no discrimination against any citizen on the basis of caste, creed and religion, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday.

The chief minister launched the “Meri Mati, Mera Desh” campaign by unveiling a Shilaphalakam (Shilapatta) to mark the 98th anniversary of the Kakori Rail Action. He paid glorious tributes to the great revolutionaries, the martyrs, the brave jawans guarding India’s borders and soldiers who contributed towards improvement in internal security.

On the occasion, he made an appeal to people to upload selfies taken at the Martyrs’ Memorials, saying, “The Tricolor is the symbol of our pride. It should be raised at every residence”

The chief minister asked the people to stand at their place from August 13 to 15 and worship the soil and bow down to the heroes. August 14, 1947, he said was a day on which India was partitioned and that another partition of the country would not be allowed at any cost.  Every citizen must make a resolution of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’, he asserted.

Emphasising civic duties, the chief minister said, “Teachers should do teaching, students should study, social workers should uplift society and people engaged in administrative work should fulfil their responsibilities honestly. Those who are not discharging their civic duties are cheating the nation.”

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said even though the present generation could not witness the celebration of independence, they are fortunate to participate in the celebration of India’s 75th year of independence. “We have become the fifth largest economy, replacing Britain which ruled us for two hundred years. India is presiding over the G-20 and moving towards self-reliance. The nation is paving the way for the welfare of humanity in the world.”

He said 98 years ago, it must have been a time of upheaval when people started realising that the days were over for foreign rule in India and revolutionaries like Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil took forward their resistance movement. The money that the revolutionaries got in the Kakori train action was Rs 4,679. The British government spent Rs 10 lakh from the arrest of the revolutionaries ill their hanging. If there is passion, determination, and willpower to fight, then the biggest physical force can be brought down. This spirit had forced the despotic regime of that time to surrender.

Remembering revolutionaries like Birsa Munda on International Tribal Day, the chief minister said that the day is remembered in the history of India for many historical events. Tribal society had played an important role in the independence of India. India is proud of its heritage.

Making an appeal to the people of the state to join the ‘Meri Mati, Mera Desh’ campaign, the chief minister said every gram panchayat and municipal body will be associated with ‘Panch Pran’ through Shilaphalakam.

In the programme, Chief Minister Yogi honoured the families of the immortal martyrs of the freedom struggle Thakur Roshan Singh, Ashfaq Ullah Khan, Sachindra Nath Bakshi and Ramakrishna Khatri. Along with this, he also honoured the families of Kargil martyrs.

He administered the oath of ‘Panch Pran’ to the people present in the programme. During this, people took a pledge to make India self-reliant and a developed nation by 2047 by taking clay and earthen lamps in their hands. Apart from this, he planted trees in Amrit Vatika and also visited the exhibition in memory of the martyrs.