AAP must not misuse Bhagat Singh’s legacy: Martyr’s niece, historians
Aparna Banerji
Jalandhar, April 8
While the AAP’s hunger strike protest at Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village Khatkar Kalan earned criticisms from the opposition leaders with words like “fake revolutionaries” and “natak”, the kin of Bhagat Singh and historians who have spent lives studying the martyr are more nuanced in their condemnation.
While some historians almost unanimously condemned the arrest of AAP Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, they objected to the use of Bhagat Singh’s legacy in a political arena. Terming Kejriwal’s arrest objectionable, historians cautioned against the use of the martyr for political gains. The statements come in the wake of the AAP’s hunger strike at Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village Khatkar Kalan on Sunday, against the Centre, after the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.
Martyr’s name being used for political agenda
Kejriwal’s arrest through use of agencies is condemnable and we object to the way he was arrested. However, it is clear that every party uses Bhagat Singh’s name for their own gains. On March 23, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, no big leader of the AAP reached Khatkar Kalan. We used to be happy that Bhagwant Mann had the courage to put Bhagat Singh’s portraits in all offices, but the use of the name of Bhagat Singh for political ends is not acceptable. Projecting Bhagat Singh on the same level as other leaders is wrong. — Gurjit Kaur, Bhagat Singh’s niece
Gurjit Kaur, niece of Bhagat Singh, who lent solidarity to the previous farmers’ protest at Singhu and the wrestlers’ dharna in Delhi, speaking on the issue, said, “Kejriwal’s arrest through use of agencies is condemnable and we object to the way he was arrested. However, it is clear that every party uses Bhagat Singh’s name for their own gains. On March 23, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, no big leader of the AAP reached Khatkar Kalan. We used to be happy that Bhagwant Mann had the courage to put Bhagat Singh’s portraits in all offices, but the use of the name of Bhagat Singh for political ends is not acceptable. Projecting Bhagat Singh on the same level as other leaders is wrong. No contemporary leader can even come close to the magnitude of his sacrifices.”
Prof Chaman Lal, Independence Movement scholar and Bhagat Singh historian, said, “Rather than using the name of Bhagat Singh, all political parties including AAP should work to uphold the ideals of Bhagat Singh, in which they all have been failing. While I condemn Kejriwal’s arrest especially during election time, and misuse of Central agencies for narrow political ends, as an academician, my prime concern is that the any government in power at centre or states, should lay stress on protecting the legacy and propagating the ideas of Bhagat Singh through monuments like the Shaheed-E-Azam Museum at Khatkar Kalan or at any other place, rather than merely using the space for political events. The repeated changes and dilution of exhibits in that space denotes a non-seriousness in prioritising the martyrs’ ideals despite the political rhetoric on him.”
Freedom Movement scholar and historian Chiranji Lal Kangniwal said, “The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal right before elections is condemnable and objectionable. He is a chosen representative of the people, which should have been considered before this action. However, the AAP’s use of Bhagat Singh as an icon to further their political rhetoric is condemnable, just like the use of religion by the BJP.”
AAP held hunger protest at khatkar kalan
While some historians almost unanimously condemned the arrest of AAP Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, they objected to the use of Bhagat Singh’s legacy in a political arena. Terming Kejriwal’s arrest objectionable, historians cautioned against the use of the martyr for political gains. The statements come in the wake of the AAP’s hunger strike at Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village Khatkar Kalan on Sunday, against the Centre, after the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.
