INDIA. Mumbai: The 81 st Anniversary of the “Quit India Movement” was observed by paying tributes to martyrs of the Indian freedom movement at the historic August Kranti Maidan in South Mumbai on Wednesday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in his speech, recalled the valiant struggle by freedom fighters to free the country from the clutches of then-British rulers. He recalled that a call for “Quit India” was given by the same maidan on August 09, 1942.
Shinde said that the freedom fighters, workers and farmers put a strong resistance to the Britishers to ensure that the country became independent. This history should reach the younger generation. Maharashtra has a legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Besides, it has a host of freedom fighters who played a crucial role in the freedom movement, he added.
On the occasion, Shinde inaugurated the August Kranti Maidan, revamped by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). He also launched the “Meri Mati Mera Desh” (My soil, my country), a campaign to honour martyred brave hearts. He stated that the state organised 10,64,410 programs as part of the Amrit Mahtosav’s (75 years of Indian Independence) 75-week countdown, which began on March 12, 2021.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the “Meri Mati Mera Desh” has been launched by paying homage to freedom fighters by planting trees, and such endeavour should help us in moving towards progress. With the commemoration of the “Quit India Movement”, the country has also shed the mindset of slavery, he added.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said that the country has been making steady progress since 1947, and that trend has continued now with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the helm of affairs. A dream to make India a totally developed country has to be achieved by 2047, and this will be possible only with unity, he added.
On the occasion of the “Panch Pran Pledge”, an oath was administered to all those present. The pledge resolves to make India a developed nation by 2047, eliminate the mentality of slavery, take pride in India’s rich heritage, uphold unity and solidarity, fulfil duties as citizens, and respect those who protect the nation.
In another development, Tushar Gandhi, a great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, claimed that he and others who were proceeding to August Kranti Maidan in a Shanti Yatra (Peace March) were detained by police and later allowed to go on Wednesday morning.
Speaking to Transcontinental Times, Gandhi said that “We were detained by Santacruz Police for nearly three hours without any reason. This was happening for the first time in Independent India.”
“We were a threat to law and order only till 11:30 today; after that, we did not remain a threat, or the administration wasn’t bothered if we created a law and order issue. New normal in New India,” Gandhi tweeted. However, Senior Police Inspector Rajendra Kane denied that such detention took place.
Also Read: Unmanned Adrift Yemeni Fishing Vessel Investigated by ICG
