Jabalpur, May 27 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has unveiled the statue of freedom fighter and founder of the Lokmat Media Group Jawaharlal Darda on the premises of a hospital in Jabalpur.
CM Yadav unveiled the statue on the premises of Seth Govind Das Government District Hospital (Victoria Hospital) on Monday, a release issued by the Lokmat Media Group said.
Speaking on the occasion, Yadav said Darda made a significant contribution to the freedom struggle and had a deep association with Jabalpur, where he spent one year and nine months in jail during the freedom movement. Later, his family made notable contributions to the expansion of healthcare services in the city, he added.
Not only Darda but Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose also had strong ties with Jabalpur during the freedom movement. Netaji challenged British arrogance and passed the ICS examination at the young age of 23, he said.
According to the release, Darda fought for India's independence before 1947 and later served for 23 years as a minister in the Maharashtra government. He carried out numerous impactful works in public welfare and social service.
Several development works were being undertaken in Madhya Pradesh, the CM said, adding that the entire Mahakaushal region, including Jabalpur, is witnessing rapid progress. The state government will leave no stone unturned when it comes to development, he said.
Speaking during the programme, Lokmat Media Group's Managing Director Devendra Darda said, "We share a deep bond with Jabalpur. For us, this city is no less than a pilgrimage site. This is where Lokmat's founder editor Jawaharlal ji Darda, fondly called Babuji, spent one year and nine months of rigorous imprisonment during the Quit India Movement."
"To ensure that the fruits of independence reached the people, Jawaharlal ji Darda chose two paths - journalism and politics. Our readers are the true owners of our newspaper. This guiding principle has been carried forward by Lokmat Media Group chairman Dr Vijay Darda and Editor-in-Chief Rajendra Darda," he said.
Madhya Pradesh minister Rakesh Singh, Jabalpur MP Ashish Dubey, MLAs Ashok Rohani, Sushil Tiwari 'Indu', Santosh Varkade, director of Lokmat Media Group Ashok Jain, editor of Lokmat Samachar (Nagpur) Ravindra Bhajni, Lokmat Media Group's Nagpur unit head Ashish Jain, among others were present on the occasion.