Paying tribute to the martyrs and their valiant spirit on the 97th anniversary of the Kakori Train Incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that nothing holds more importance than sovereignty and the independence of a nation and it is the responsibility of every Indian to uphold the values and safeguard the integrity of the country.

Saluting the Kakori incident martyrs, the Chief Minister said that due to the vigilance, alertness, devotion and sacrifice of such brave souls we are living in an independent country. “Today, we are able to live in an independent India because of the sacrifices of millions of sons and daughters of Mother India. This is an occasion to pay tribute to the freedom fighters, martyrs and brave souls and their spirit and dedication to free Mother India,” he added.

The Chief Minister along with Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and other cabinet ministers paid tribute to all the martyrs by paying homage to them at the Kakori Martyrs Memorial site in Lucknow. The families of the martyrs were also honored on the occasion.

Talking about the Amrit Mahotsav programme, CM Yogi Adityanath said that it will elevate the country to newer heights, will invoke patriotism and will also instill a passion to do something for the country.

“Programmes in connection with Amrit Mahotsav are being held throughout the country. Be it the struggle saga of a freedom fighter; be it history of a place or any cultural story from the country, the Amrit Mahotsav will bring it to fore which will also become a means to connect with countrymen,” he stated.

Emphasising on the need to sensitise the youth regarding the struggle of the freedom fighters, the CM said, “In the struggle for freedom, our fighters underwent innumerable hardships since they considered a sacrifice for the sake of the country as their duty. May the immortal saga of their sacrifice, ‘Tyaag’ and ‘Balidan’ continuously inspire us towards the path of duty.”

CM Yogi said that we had started the centenary celebrations of Chauri Chaura incident from Gorakhpur on 4th February 2021. Along with the Chauri Chaura incident in Uttar Pradesh, seventy-five weeks before India completes 75 years of Independence on August 15, 2022, the country has decided to celebrate the ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’, and in this regard, Prime Minister Modi flagged off the ‘padayatra (Freedom March) from Sabarmati Ashram.

The Chief Minister said that Azadi Ka Amrit Mohatsav is a tribute by our people to our freedom fighters and freedom movement. During the celebrations the country will not only remember all the important milestones, important times during the freedom movement but will also gain new energy (Amrit) for the development of our future. He said it is a solemn duty of people to remember and celebrate the extraordinary spirit of the freedom fighters, their supreme sacrifices and their lofty ideals.

“Amrit Mahotsav signifies new energy. This festival of freedom means the elixir of new ideas. The elixir of new resolutions. This festival also means the elixir of self-reliance. These are the five major mantras given by our hon’ble PM”, he added.

Furthermore, the CM said that the anniversary of the Kakori train incident is being organized under the series of Amrit Mahotsav of Independence and Chauri Chaura Centenary Festival.

Highlighting the struggles of the freedom fighters, the CM asserted that “we all know what kind of atrocities the British government caused on the freedom fighters, revolutionaries of this country. Through the Kakori Train Incident the revolutionaries could only manage Rs 4600 to carry out their freedom movement but were prosecuted for Rs 10 lakhs,” he said adding that, “This cruelty is an eye opener for all of us. It always makes us realize that nothing can be greater than the independence of the country.”

Referring to the valour of Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaq Ulla Khan, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, CM Yogi said that the flame of revolution of the country should not be extinguished, for which these great revolutionaries sacrificed their lives. The country never bowed before the British rule and similarly the countrymen should always strive for the development of the nation.

The country’s first war for freedom in 1857, in which Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Mangal Pandey and the revolutionaries of Meerut had raised the flame of revolution at different places, the incident of Chauri Chaura was a sequel to it. After Chauri Chaura, the Kakori Train Incident had worked to shake the roots of the British rule, giving new strength to the same link and also became the fulcrum of the thought process of the revolutionaries.

Yogi further said that there is a need to make the world realize that this India representing a population of 136 crore is associated with only one religion by rising above any kind of caste, religion, region, language or any political beliefs, which is the religion of ‘Nation’ (Rashtra). Every Indian must fulfil his/her duty to keep the independence of India intact as well as to realize the vision of a self-reliant India.