New Delhi: The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are having a special discussion to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement in the forenoon. Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned after doing very little business due to sloganeering and protests.
Speaker reads the pledge and the House adopts it unanimously. Speaker read obituary reference of Sanwar Lal Jat. He passed away today. The House pays silent tributes. Former Prime Minister Deve Gowda speaks. Today, forgetting all our differences, this House is going to pledge to remove all our issues we are ruling ourselves.
Vice President makes a statement on Quit India Movement. He leads the House to take a pledge on building an inclusive, self-reliant, tolerant, secular and democratic India. The House unanimously agrees.
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena, recalls the contribution of Veer Savarkar. He points at Congress and says a visit to Andmans will make you realise how life was in Cellular jail.
Naresh Gujral (SAD) recalls how his entire family was jailed for participating in the movement. This included children, he says. Today we breathe free, thanks to them. But are we realising their dream of a tolerant India, he says.
Jithendar Reddy says today we require orderly withdrawal of social evils. Gandhian ideology can ensure this. The English have left but the legacy remains. We should revamp the colonial bureaucracy and draconian taxation, he says.
Kanimozhi recites Subramania Bharati’s verse and recalls the contribution of Tamils in freedom struggle. There were many freedom fighters who are not Hindus, who didn’t follow any religion, who didn’t speak Hindi, and ate what a certain section felt they shouldn’t eat. Are they lesser Indians?
It is a shame that untouchability and ‘honour’ killing are being practiced even today. The temple carts still don’t visit Dalit streets. Is this the freedom we wanted? She talks about the Chandigarh stalking incident, how leaders indulged in victim blaming. What is the point of passing Bills without adequate representation of women in both the Houses? she says.
Majeed Memon says today must be celebrated as a National festival, just like how we celebrate Independence Day. Even though we gained political independence, the freedom from poverty, hunger, discrimination, violence and hatred have not been gained. We have to raise above politics and get ‘total freedom,’ he says.
Veer Singh (BSP) recalls the contribution of B.R. Ambedkar. It is sad that both the Leader of the House and Leader of Opposition didn’t name him. We talk about Rani Laxmibai. It is Jhalkaribai who actually fought in the battle. But her name is not highlighted because she is a Dalit.
Sitaram Yechury says we achieved independence through unity — the Dalit, the Brahmin, the Rajput, the cow eater, cow worshiper all were together, he says. A.K. Gopalan hoisted the tricolour from a jail in Vellore. The five years from Quit India to Independence, the nation saw partition, communalism, riots Mr. Yechury says. “Why not talk about unemployment and poverty,” asks Ravi Shankar Prasad.
You have to quit the economic policy that is creating two Indians, the policies that is creating poverty and unemployment. Today 69% of GDP is with 1% population, he says.
The Quit India movement instilled new confidence among masses, he says. The most important part of the movement is that the British realized they could no longer colonialise India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks for the first time in the monsoon session. He recalls the “August revolution”, the other name of Quit India Movement. The British would have not thought of a revolution of this scale. When senior leaders were imprisoned, new leaders like Shastri, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan rose and took the movement forward.
Next to speak is Sonia Gandhi. This is her first speech in the monsoon session. She recalls how people proceeded with the movement even after police excess and police firing. We shouldn’t forget that there were people who were against the freedom. Are the dark forces regrouping again now, she wonders.
We should remember that our leaders fought for a peaceful and progressive nation. But there’s a sentiment of hate and violence today. We should move towards a future keeping in mind the sacrifices of them, she says while ending the speech.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav recalls the contributions of Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan in the freedom struggle. He recalls partition. Dr. Lohia was against partition. Today, we’ve lost Tibet. We are taking visa to visit holy Kailash mountains, he says.
It is not a difficult task to fulfill the wishes of Gandhi when the country stays united, says Mr. Modi. The world learnt a lot from us in 1942. The world can learn a lot from us even today. The nation is above politics, says Mr. Modi.
