Hussainiwala, March 23: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Monday criticized the Union Government for failing to confer the Bharat Ratna upon Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev. Speaking at the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala on the occasion of Shaheedi Diwas, the Chief Minister maintained that while selfish leaders have built grand stadiums and memorials in their own names, the true heroes of the liberation struggle remain overlooked for the nation’s highest honor.
The Chief Minister asserted that the trajectory of post-independence India would have been profoundly superior had the nation’s leadership been handed to the youth. He stated that if Bhagat Singh had served as India’s first Prime Minister following the 1952 elections, the country would have reached the top position globally. Mann also took a sharp swipe at contemporary leaders who claim India only gained true independence in 2014, describing such statements as a grave insult to those who endured the pain of Partition and the gallows.
During the event, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the ₹24.99 crore Hussainiwala Heritage Complex. He affirmed that this project is a dedicated effort to preserve the legacy of the revolutionaries through 3D mapping, historical corridors, and thematic landscaping. He also recalled the administrative struggle with the Central Government to rename the Mohali airport after Bhagat Singh, noting that persistent pressure from the Punjab government eventually forced the change.
“Those who didn’t lose anyone in the freedom struggle are today claiming that India became independent only in 2014,” the Chief Minister declared. He maintained that the power of the ballot is the modern weapon of revolution and urged the youth to follow the martyrs’ ideology rather than just displaying their pictures. He affirmed that his administration remains committed to realizing the “Rangla Punjab” envisioned by the martyrs who sacrificed their lives at the age of 23.
