TRIBUTES TO THE GREAT REVOLUTIONARIES

TRIBUTES TO THE GREAT REVOLUTIONARIES

9-AUG-ENG 18

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------On August 9, 1942, under the leadership of the All India Congress Committee, Mahatma Gandhi raised the "Quit India" slogan. This marked the beginning of the largest mass movement against British rule across the country. To commemorate this historic event—observed today as 'August Kranti Diwas'—we gather under the aegis of the Bhojpur District Congress Committee and the chairmanship of District President Dr. Shridhar Tiwari to pay our heartfelt tributes to the great revolutionaries, immortal martyrs, and freedom fighters of the independence movement by offering floral tributes at their portraits. In his address, District President Dr. Shridhar Tiwari noted that the Quit India Movement was launched from the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai, a site now known as "August Kranti Maidan." After the Congress Working Committee passed the "Do or Die" resolution—demanding that the British immediately leave India—Gandhiji and all major Congress leaders, including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Azad, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad, were promptly arrested. Following this, the public took to the streets; students, women, and ordinary citizens sustained the movement through strikes, processions, and the disruption of rail and telegraph lines. This movement saw unprecedented participation from women and the youth. At that time, Congress leaders launched the movement in Mumbai by hoisting the Tricolour. Gandhiji gave the call: "I give you a small mantra—Do or Die. Either we will liberate India, or we will die in the attempt." While the ideological forebears of the current central government colluded with the British to weaken the movement—often securing their release by signing letters of apology—the present government fails to accord due importance to the immortal martyrs who sacrificed their lives. Instead, the focus is on promoting capitalists, while students, farmers, and the youth are forced to protest. In this context, the Congress Party bears a crucial responsibility to safeguard the country's deteriorating *Ganga-Jamuni* culture (syncretic heritage). Drawing inspiration from that freedom movement, our leader Rahul Gandhi urges us not to fear and advocates for opening "shops of love" to counter the hatred spreading in the country. Today, we pay our heartfelt tributes to those great revolutionaries, sons of freedom, martyrs, and freedom fighters.

Attendees at the event included former President Triveni Prasad Singh, State President of the Congress Ideology Department Dr. Shashi Kumar Singh, Media In-charge Virendra Mishra, District Youth President Dr. Bhanu Pratap Singh, Shashi Kant Tiwari, Rajesh Kumar, Chitranjan Munna, Pramod Rai, Shyam Sundar Pandey, Ashutosh Thakur, NSUI President Abhishek Tiwari (alias Golu), Laxman Tiwari, Sunil Kumar, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Pankaj Singh, among others.