History turns in favour of India as PM Modi unfurls tricolour in Andaman
“This is an unforgettable event. For the first time we saw the national tricolour unfurled on the liberated and pious land of Bharat …. We are happy to witness history taking turn in favour of Bharat”.
Port Blair, Dec 31: As the year 2018 fades into the folds of history, it recast the event happened 75 years ago in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. On December 30, 1943, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose unfurled the national tricolour on the liberated land of Bharat in Andaman Island and renamed them as “Shahid” and “Swaraj” islands.
Exactly 75 years later, on the same day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi donning the INA cap unfurled the national tricolour and paid tributes to Netaji Subhash Chandar Bose renaming the two islands as “Shahid” and “Swaraj” and also the Ross Island after Netaji Bose in a most befitting manner of saluting the sacrifice and contribution of that great son of Mother Bharat in the freedom struggle.
Modi also visited the Cellular Jail and paid a visit to the cell that housed “Swatantyaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar for over a decade. Modi thus became the first Prime Minister to recognize the contribution of Savarkar and revolutionaries in India’s freedom struggle blasting the Congress-Communist-Secular narrative that freedom was achieved by non-violent methods and that too by just one family.
Prime Minister renamed the three islands in the group of island as a mark of tributes to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Besides renaming the Ross Island after Netaji, Neil Island was named as “Shahid Dweep” and Havelock Island was named as “Swaraj Dweep”.
Andaman was in the news recently following the killing of an American missionary John Allen Chou who was killed by the Sentinelese tribal people. Chou, a missionary had visited that island for a number of times on a tourist visa and intended to convert those tribal people to Christianity.
Commemorating the 75th anniversary of flag hoisting, PM Modi released the commemorative postal stamp, coin and a First Day Cover at a public event. He also unveiled a series of development projects related to energy, connectivity and health services.
Addressing the largely attended public meeting on the occasion PM Modi described the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as symbol of India’s natural beauty and centres of pilgrimage for Indians as they remind us of the “collective resolve of our freedom fighters”.
He said the government was committed to empowering and developing the islands and the development projects launched today would further this objective in the field of education, health, connectivity, tourism and employment.
Recalling Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the Prime Minister said that on Netaji's call, many youth from the Andamans had dedicated themselves to the freedom of India. He said the flag on the 150 feet high mast, is an attempt to preserve the memory of this day in 1943, when Netaji unfurled the tricolour.
The Prime Minister said that people of the country are working to make India strong and a capable global leader as envisioned by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bode.
He said that remembering and honouring our heroes, helps strengthen our feeling of integration. He said the Union Government is making efforts to highlight every glorious chapter of our history. In this context he mentioned the Panchteerth related to Babasaheb Ambedkar, the National Police Memorial, and the Statue of Unity. He said National Awards have also been announced in the names of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Sardar Patel.