Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today lauded the innumerable sacrifices made by the Punjabis in the freedom struggle, despite the fact they constituted a mere 2.5 per cent of the country’s population.
Addressing a gathering on the 72nd Martyrdom Day of Shaheed Udham Singh at a state-level function at the local grain market, Badal said the state had played a unique role in the freedom movement.
“The sacrifice of Shaheed Udham Singh, who avenged the Jallianwala massacre by killing Sir Michael O’dwyer (the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab who had ordered the massacre), will always be remembered in the annals of history,” he said.
“The rich legacy of unprecedented sacrifices by the martyrs will act as a lighthouse to guide the destiny of our future generations,” the Chief Minister said. He said the aspirations of these martyrs had not been realised even after 65 years of Independence with a majority of people bereft of basic amenities.
The Chief Minister said it was a matter of pride that heroes of the national movement like Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Lala Lajpat Rai and Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha were all Punjabis. “The valiant Punjabis have inherited the spirit of self-sacrifice and patriotism from Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji, Sri Guru Teg Bahadar ji and Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji, who waged a relentless battle against the terror unleashed by the Mughal emperors to safeguard human rights and protect the innocent and hapless from their tyranny,” Badal said.
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