Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, as part of the Tiranga Yatra, paid tributes to to martyrs in Vidurashwatha in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka on Tuesday
Tiranga Yatra is a campaign launched to inculcate love for the nation and to revisit the historical events and personalities responsible for India's freedom.
Calling it the first of its kind in Independent India, Irani said the yatra hopes to bring together people and the government to celebrate freedom.
"I am fortunate that my government has sent me to this historical place Vidurashwatha, also known as the 'Jallianwala Bagh of the South'. I am told nearly 35 people were killed here in April 1938 after the British opened fire during the Satyagraha movement...Chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai will be a fitting to tribute to these martyrs,” she said.
Terming the yatra a 'pet programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said, "Our PM reminded us that every time you look at the Tricolour you need to remember the sacrifices of men and women who laid down their lives”.
“...the people and the government have come together for a week-long celebration of freedom. For the first time, we have a PM who spent the Diwali with our soldiers at the border. This motivated all the women ministers to celebrate Raksha Bandhan at the border,” she said.