Hussainiwala, March 23: At the ancestral village of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann delivered a poignant tribute, stating that the freedom to choose leaders is a direct result of the selfless sacrifices made by the young revolutionaries of 1931. The Chief Minister declared that when citizens look at their voter ID cards, they should feel the essence of the martyrs who chose the gallows over power or political gain.
The Chief Minister took a sharp swipe at leaders who claim India achieved true independence only in 2014, asserting that such statements insult the lakhs of Punjabis who suffered the horrors of Partition. He maintained that despite being only two percent of the population, Punjabis accounted for 80 percent of those executed or exiled during the freedom struggle. Mann stated that those who did not lose anyone in the movement are now attempting to dictate how the country should run.
Emphasizing a shift toward knowledge-based governance, the Chief Minister affirmed that the AAP government is prioritizing path-breaking initiatives in the education sector to dispel the darkness of illiteracy. He stated that real change stems from awareness and empowerment rather than symbolic gestures. To support the working class, he noted that the government has already delivered 65,000 jobs, ensuring that the youth remain rooted in Punjab rather than seeking opportunities abroad.
“Nations that forget their martyrs lose their identity,” Mann asserted, calling upon the people to move beyond annual commemorations and adopt the ideology of the martyrs. He affirmed that the ₹24.99 crore Hussainiwala Virasat project and the ongoing efforts to rename international airports after freedom fighters are part of a larger mission to preserve Punjab’s heroic history. The Chief Minister concluded by stating that his government will leave no stone unturned to build the harmonious and egalitarian society that Bhagat Singh dreamed of.
