The Citizen web daily has carried this article link above!
Oh how we ‘Love’ Bhagat Singh-and how we ‘Hate’ also!
Chaman
Lal*
Some
people were shocked to know that Haryana government led by a migrant Punjabi, a
known RSS prachark Manohar Lal Khattar, has withdrawn the decision of his
predecessor Bhupender Singh Hooda to name Chandigarh international airport as
‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh international airport’. Instead he has proposed that
airport be named after Mangal Sen, his fellow RSS Prachark and one time
minister in Devilal ministry in Haryana. This ‘great’ decision of Sh. Khattar
would have remained hidden in typical RSS style, had Ludhiana Congress MP
Ravneet Singh Bittu, a grandson of former chief minister of Punjab-Beant Singh-
assassinated by Khalistanis ,not put a unstarred question
in Lok Sabha to civil aviation minister-the question and answer is as under-
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 858
ANSWERED ON: 03.12.2015
Change of Name of Chandigarh Airport
RAVNEET SINGH
Will the Minister of
CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:-
(a) whether the Government proposes to change the
name of Chandigarh
airport;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons
therefor; and
(c) the time by which it is likely to be done?
ANSWER
Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Dr Mahesh Sharma)
(a) to
(c): A proposal was received from State Government of Punjab for naming of
International Civil Air Terminal, Chandigarh as "Shaheed-EAzam Sardar Bhagat
Singh International Airport, Mohali". In 2010, Chief Minister of Haryana
had also proposed for naming of International Civil Air Terminal, Chandigarh as
"Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh". In a
subsequent letter, Chief Minister of Haryana has requested to name the airport
terminal as "Dr Mangal Sein International Airport, Chandigarh". The
proposal was examined in consultation with concerned Ministries and State
Governments of Haryana and Punjab. However, due to non-consensus between State
Government of Haryana and Punjab, the airport terminal could not be renamed.”
Though shocking for many, it is not
shocking for those, who know that Haryana chief minister has appointed Dinanath
Batra as state government’s main educational advisor in minister’s rank, he has
his sense of history shaped by such advisors! Though younger elements even in
BJP may also be raising the common query-‘who is this Mangal Sen?’
It was in year 2009, when Chandigarh
airport was proposed to be expanded as international airport and Punjab Government
while allotting land for it in Mohali, decided with unanimous resolution of
Punjab assembly to name the airport as Shaheed-e-azam Bhagat Singh
International airport Mohali. Since Haryana Govt. was participant in
construction of airport, then Haryana Chief Minister in 2010 consented on the
name but it insisted on town name to be Chandigarh and not Mohali as proposed
by Punjab. Manmohan Singh Government could have notified the airport name then,
but kept it pending, which gave an excuse to present Chief Minister to withdraw
his predecessor’s recommendation and make his own recommendation.
Manohar Lal Khattar’s recommendation does
not surprise secular political activists, rather it proves their long argued
point that RSS/Hindutva has no love lost for revolutionaries and it eulogize
them just to hit their political adversaries, particularly Congress party for not
giving them due respect. ‘Panchjanya’-RSS Hindi mouthpiece has come out with
special Bhagat Singh issue in year 2007, to mark birth centenary of the most
popular hero of Indian and South Asian youth. It has tried to appropriate
Bhagat Singh legacy while criticizing Prof. Bipan Chandra and me for our
underlining of Bhagat Singh’s socialist revolutionary credentials. It has been
even claiming though falsely, that Bhagat Singh had met Bala Saheb Deoras in
Nagpur.
Now Manohar Lal Khattar’s decision,
has simply proved the deception of RSS/BJP/Hindutva, in claiming or
appropriating legacy of Bhagat Singh and freedom struggle in any form. Interestingly
Khalistan supporter Simranjit Singh IPS (retd. SSP) has also opposed airport
being named on Bhagat Singh’s name calling him a ‘murderer’ of police officer!
One can see how all religious fundamentalists are close in their thinking!
Religious fundamentalists are even
insulting Bhagat Singh by using his painting based distorted photos rather than
using any of his four real photographs for publicity purposes, it includes
Central and State govts. No other national icon is subjected to use of their
unreal or painting based photographs in govt. advertisements, but in case of
Bhagat Singh even the sanctity of his real photographs is violated.
It
is not for first time that Bhagat Singh or his legacy has been subjected to
insults, neither is it going to be last. Even during Bhagat Singh’s life time
when they assassinated Saunders to avenge national insult in death of Lala
Lajpat Rai, hit by British colonial police’s lathis or when he and B K Dutt
threw harmless bombs in Central Assembly, now Parliament to protest against
anti worker and anti-people bills of British colonial government. They were called
‘murderers’, ‘mad men’ and what not inside and outside Central Assembly by some
of our national leaders at that time, but not by two Nehrus -Motilal and
Jawaharlal. Yet same kind of people were eulogizing them to heights after their
martyrdom. It was Jinnah who had spoken in compassion for them, when Bhagat
Singh and other revolutionaries were observing long hunger strikes in jail.
There is no record of any RSS or Hindu Mahasabha man speaking a word in favor
of Bhagat Singh or his comrades during their whole revolutionary activities or
at their execution by British colonialism. It was only Congress
(Leftists/Socialists/Forward Bloc) and Communists who had real relations with
these revolutionaries during freedom struggle. Rightist among Congress party always
denigrated the revolutionaries, as is being done by RSS/BJP/Hindutavites now.
Even memorial to three revolutionaries at Ravi Banks in Lahore in 1931 after
their martyrdom, planned by Naujwan Bharat Sabha was scuttled by such Congress
people by using Bhagat Singh’s father Kishan Singh, who himself was Congressman,
with the false and deceptive assurance that Congress party itself will build
grand memorial for three revolutionaries in Lahore, which was never done till
1947 partition. Ironically it is civil democratic groups of Pakistan, who are
now trying to build memorial at execution place of Bhagat Singh as Bhagat Singh
Chowk. His birthplace in Chak No. 105, Lyallpur Bange has already been turned
into a memorial with Pakistan Government sanctioning more than 8 crores rupees
to build it.
M L Khattar’s insult to Bhagat Singh
and practically all freedom struggle, as Bhagat Singh is the supreme symbol of
freedom struggle, has not been taken kindly. Not only Congress MP Ravneet Singh
Bittu has threatened agitation over it, Akali MP Prem Singh Chandumajra has
also spoken very forcefully on the issue and Dr. Dharam veer Gandhi, AAP Lok
Sabha member from Patiala is also going to raise the issue forcefully, so is
plan of CPI(M). Janta Dal(U) MP and Spokesman K C Tyagi has condemned Haryana
Govt.’s act in strong terms. All secular forces in the country need to rise up
in unison to stop the insults being heaped on Bhagat Singh like revolutionaries
and freedom struggle of India by RSS like forces, now in power, who played no
role in freedoms struggle and some of them were in league with British colonial
power.
Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh have been found
to be two most popular icons of India by many surveys by reputed journals like
The Hindu and India Today. Dr. Ambedkar has a constituency and no one dares to
insult him or his legacy, but Bhagat Singh seems to have no constituency
despite his popularity. His natural constituency –the left- does not seem to be
that sensitive to protecting his dignity as Ambedkarites are! Would they get
more sensitized about it now?!
#####
*Chaman
Lal is retired Professor from JNU, New Delhi and author/editor of many books on
Bhagat Singh, including his documents in Hindi, Punjabi and English.
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