Once blue-eyed boy, Bhagat Singh missing from political discourses

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 22

Adopting a selective “pick-and-drop-as per-whims” policy on Punjab’s legendary martyr Bhagat Singh, the political leadership across the board has totally skipped his death anniversary tomorrow with not a single party holding any event at the martyr’s historic village Khatkar Kalan on Saturday.

The symbolism and zeal of yesteryears is missing from the political discourses this year ahead of the 2019 LS elections.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s last visit being the launch of the DAPO drive from Khatkar Kalan last year, he had also skipped the event to commemorate the martyr’s birth anniversary on September 28 at Khatkar Kalan last year. Though the Gandhi Jayanti celebrations a few days later were marked by the Chief Minister himself by inaugurating a camp in SAS Nagar.

The Chief Minister or the Tourism Department has also not shown any interest in addition of artefacts or additional staff at the Bhagat Singh Museum or forming a research conservatory as envisioned.

While an interest in Bhagat Singh in the state had surged with the AAP’s Swaraj Abhiyan with the 2014 elections, there were years such as 2015 when all major parties congregated at Khatkar Kalan on March 23, holding individual rallies. The trademark yellow Bhagat Singh turbans – brought again in vogue by a then-enthusiastic Bhagwant Mann — had increased the popularity of the the martyr among the youth.

In 2016, both Congress and the SAD held parallel rallies at Khatkar Kalan on March 23 with the martyr forming the core of politics. However, this year barring some rallies by the district administration, the name of Bhagat Singh is missing from the agenda of all political parties ahead of the elections.

SAD leader Pawan Tinu said, “The martyr is very important for the state. The Congress could at least have held a commemorative event on the occasion. There are many ways to commemorate the martyr. Lack of any such event shows the Congress’ disconnect with the history and grassroots’ issues.”

While the SAD itself has not announced an event either, Tinu, while responding on this said: “Our leaders have been going to offer tributes. HS Chadumajra also visited Khatkar Kalan recently and other local leaders have also done that.”

Congress MLA Pargat Singh said: “There should be a ceremonial event by the government on the occasion. Bhagat Singh is important. We don’t need to gather people but a ceremony commemorating the martyr should at least be held. I will take up the issue.”

However, Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

In 2015, PM Narendra Modi had also addressed a national-level function at Hussainiwala on the Martyrdom Day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev and had announced that a postgraduate institute of horticulture science and research in Amritsar would be named after Bhagat Singh. In August 2016, the BJP also took out ‘Tiranga Yatra’, led by Vjay Sampla, from Khatkar Kalan to Madhopur in honour of the martyr.