Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that from 2024 onwards, the Bhopal Gaurav Diwas, June 1 would be a holiday in Bhopal and a research institute focused on the history of Bhopal would be established with the aim of making the coming generation familiar with the state capital’s history.
On Bhopal Gaurav Diwas on Thursday, Chouhan extended greetings of Bhopal Merger Day to the people of the city. He said that as a result of the sacrifices of innumerable people and the struggle of warriors, on June 1, 1949, two years after the country’s independence, Bhopal had become an integral part of India.
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The CM said that the new generation does not know that Bhopal did not become independent on August 15, 1947, when India became independent, as the Nawab ruler had refused to merge Bhopal with India.
Chouhan said the merger movement started in Bhopal in protest of the Nawab’s decision. The CM paid tributes to the martyrs remembering the struggle of Uddhav Das Mehta, Balkrishna Gupta and Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma.
The Chief Minister unfurled the national flag and paid floral tributes to Bharat Mata after recitation of Jana-Gana-Mana and remembered the martyrs of merger by lighting a mashal.
Tributes were paid to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for Bhopal’s independence and merger with India. The portraits of martyrs were garlanded and showered with petals. A photo exhibition focused on the Bhopal merger movement was also displayed on the occasion.