Lucknow, Aug 9 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that people living in India cannot continue to insult the country’s symbols, its great personalities, the national anthem, and the national song.
The Tiranga Yatra, led by Adityanath, was taken out from the chief minister’s residence at 5, Kalidas Marg to the Vidhan Bhavan, with UP BJP President Pankaj Chowdhury and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brijesh Pathak among thousands of youths who participated.
Addressing a gathering before kicking off the Tiranga Yatra in Lucknow to mark the 101st anniversary of the Kakori Train Action, Adityanath said, “We are all grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has ensured greater respect for India’s national symbols and enhanced the dignity of the national anthem and national song by classifying insults against them as cognizable and punishable offences. People can no longer be allowed to live in India while insulting the country’s symbols, its great personalities, its national anthem, and its national song.”
He said the national flag was a symbol of India’s simplicity, development, heritage and its “aan, baan and shaan” (honour, pride and glory).
The chief minister paid tribute to the freedom fighters, including Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh and Ashfaqullah Khan, saying they had shaken the foundations of British rule through the Kakori Train Action in 1925.
“Today is also the 101st sacred anniversary of the Kakori Train Action. On this occasion, the BJP is starting Tiranga Yatras across the country to express gratitude towards the great revolutionaries and freedom fighters,” he said. Adityanath recalled the soldiers’ supreme sacrifice after Independence.
“This Tiranga Yatra is an expression of gratitude towards all those martyrs and a resolve to carry forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘nation first’,” he said.
The chief minister said 2016 was significant because the country was marking 150 years of the national song ‘Vande Mataram’.
“Our youth is talented, a symbol of energy and can face every challenge confronting the country. This youth energy should get an appropriate platform to move forward and prepare itself to face the country’s and society’s challenges while pursuing its traditional curriculum,” he said.
Adityanath said around 25,000 to 30,000 youths were expected to participate in the Lucknow yatra. “I was receiving reports since morning. I was happy that by 8:30 am, more than 25,000 youths had already gathered here, and now the number is crossing 30,000,” he said.
He said the massive participation reflected patriotism and gratitude towards the revolutionaries and freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
Referring to the upcoming Independence Day, Adityanath said the country would celebrate its 80th Independence Day on August 15 and urged people to participate in the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign. He said amendments to the Flag Code enabled citizens to hoist the national flag at their homes with due respect.
“Earlier, during the Congress period, people had to fight for the right to hoist the Tricolour at their homes and even approach courts. Prime Minister Modi gave 140 crore Indians the freedom to hoist the Tricolour atop their homes with a sense of pride and respect for the national flag,” he said.
The chief minister said the Tiranga Yatra symbolised the same spirit ahead of Independence Day.
He appealed to participants to maintain discipline during the march from Kalidas Marg to the Vidhan Bhavan and raise slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”.
“Patriotic tunes will also continue to reverberate along the route. The discipline visible in the yatra should reflect our respect for these national symbols,” he said. Adityanath also paid tribute to the makers of the Constitution, including Dr Rajendra Prasad and Dr B R Ambedkar, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, whom he described as the architect of India’s unity.
