Plea to develop Pusad as memorial of 1930 Jungle Satyagraha

NewsBharati    12-Feb-2021
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New Delhi, Feb 12: Rajya Sabha MP Prof. Rakesh Sinha on Wednesday made a forceful appeal to the Vice-President and Chairman of the Upper House to develop Pusad as memorial of 1930 Jungle Satyagraha.

Pusad is a taluka place in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district where during the 1930 ‘Non-cooperation and Civil disobedience’ movement, people offered ‘Jungle Satyagraha’ as part of the movement responding to the call given by the Congress leadership and Mahatma Gandhi.

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Presenting argument in favor of the memorial, Sinha said that as the country braces for celebration of the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, it is the most opportune time to bring to limelight and develop many such places and incidents associated with freedom struggle but currently lying neglected and unattended.

He said Pusad is one such place of Jungle Satyagraha which continued to remain neglected for years and remained far away from the public memory since independence. However, it is worth mentioning that people from all over the country continue to visit this place every year and draw inspiration, he said.

Mahatma Gandhi gave a call for launching “Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience” movement to oust the British in 1930 and started the movement with world famous ‘Dandi March’ in Gujarat. In Vidarbha, which was a stronghold of the Congress party, people opted for ‘Jungle Satyagraha’ instead of ‘Salt Satyagraha’. And the historic ‘Jungle Satyagraha’ was offered at Pusad under the leadership of Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and his colleagues.

Prof Sinha said that Dr. Hedgewar was the former Secretary of the Vidarbha Provincial Congress Committee and founder and Adya Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which he had founded in 1925 at Nagpur.

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It was decided that the satyagraha would be offered on 21st July 1930 and on 14th July a large contingent of Satyagrahis started for Pusad from Nagpur under the leadership of Dr. Hedgewar. They reached Pusad via Wardha, Dhamangaon and Yavatmal. On the appointed day, i.e. on 21st July 1930 Dr. Hedgewar offered satyagraha alsong with 10000 other satyagrahis. All of them were arrested and Dr. Hedgewar and other leaders were sentenced to one year RI.

This satyagraha was more important from the fact that it injected a new life in the civil disobedience movement in its very first phase. Rallies and public meetings were organized all over Vidarbha region in support of Dr. Hedgewar and people also made picketing in front of the liquor shops.

Prof Sinha said that this place where satyagraha was offered is located deep in the jungle and only a hanging sign board is all that tells the story of this satyagraha here.

Therefore, when the country is preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Indian Independence it would be in the fitness of things to develop this place as a memorial to that historic satyagrah and a museum of reminiscences of 1930 Jungle Satyagraha in the 75th year of our independence, Prof Sinha said.

Jungle Satyagraha Salt Satyagraha Civil Dis-obedience Movement Dr. Hedgewar Pusad Satyagraha Memorial