Amid row over Amar Jawan Jyoti flame being extinguished, the government sources clarified that the flame is not being extinguished, but it is only being merged with the flame at the National War Memorial, sources said.
The clarification comes amid reports that the eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti at India gate will be doused and merged with the flame at the adjoining National War Memorial.
“It was an odd thing to see that the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti payed homage to the martyrs of the 1971 and other wars but none of their names are present there,” government sources said.
“The names inscribed on the India Gate are of only some martyrs who fought for the British in the World War 1 and the Anglo Afghan War and thus is a symbol of our colonial past,” they added.
Sources also said that the names of all Indian martyrs from all the wars, including 1971 and wars before and after it are housed at the National War Memorial. Hence, it is a true shraddhanjali to have the flame paying tribute to martyrs there, they said.
BJP’s Amit Malviya said that the names inscribed on India Gate, where Amar Jawan Jyoti was, are of those who fought in First World War and Anglo Afghan War for the Britishers not those who fell in 1971 and subsequent wars. “The National War Memorial War is where they have been honoured hence decision to merge the flame,” he added.
Names inscribed on India Gate, where Amar Jawan Jyoti was, are of those who fought World War 1 and Anglo Afghan War for the Britishers not those who fell in 1971 and subsequent wars. The National War Memorial War is where they have been honoured hence decision to merge the flame.— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) January 21, 2022
Meanwhile, the opposition hit out at the centre with the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressing concern over the move and Manish Tewari equating it with erasing history.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed concern over immortal Amar Jawan Jyoti flame to be extinguished and said, “It is a matter of great sadness that the immortal flame that used to burn for our brave soldiers will be extinguished today. Some people cannot understand patriotism and sacrifice. Nevertheless, we will once again light the Amar Jawan Jyoti for our soldiers!”
बहुत दुख की बात है कि हमारे वीर जवानों के लिए जो अमर ज्योति जलती थी, उसे आज बुझा दिया जाएगा।कुछ लोग देशप्रेम व बलिदान नहीं समझ सकते- कोई बात नहीं…हम अपने सैनिकों के लिए अमर जवान ज्योति एक बार फिर जलाएँगे!
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 21, 2022
Congress leader Manish Tewari said that extinguishing Amar Jawan Jyoti tantamounts to extinguishing history as it commentates sacrifice of those 3,483 brave soldiers who cleaved Pakistan into two parts.
Extinguishing Amar Jawan Jyoti tantamounts to extinguishing historyFor it commentates sacrifice of those 3,483 brave soldiers who cleaved Pakistan into 02 parts & redrew map of South Asia post partitionIt is ironical that in 50 th year of liberation1/1https://t.co/QZztoleuL4— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) January 21, 2022
Congress leader Pawan Khera took a dig at the government and said that it was our fortune that we were able to divide Pakistan into two parts after winning the war, but it is BJP’s fortune to just make a memorial.
हमारी क़िस्मत में जंग जीत कर पाकिस्तान के दो टुकड़े करना लिखा था, इनकी क़िस्मत में सिर्फ़ मेमोरीयल बनाना लिखा था। उप्पर वाला भी माद्दा देख कर क़िस्मत लिखता है विकास बाबू https://t.co/4qXG7oUgxl— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) January 21, 2022
RJD MP Manoj Jha attacked the government over the move and said that it is neither good politics nor good optics.
It is understandable that the present regime may not have a sense of attachment/belonging with the 'glories of the past' but it is beyond comprehension when you resort to such 'memory erasure' tactics..It is neither good politics nor good optics. Jai Hind #AmarJawanJyoti— Manoj Kumar Jha (@manojkjhadu) January 21, 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government is building new national monuments and adding glory to the existing ones. “After Independence, new construction took place only for a few families from Delhi. We have brought the country out of this narrow thinking and are building new national monuments and adding glory to the existing ones,” PM Modi said.
Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar told CNN-News18 that the flame is not being extinguished, but its being merged with the National War Memorial. He also said that the national war memorial represents the independent India and added that the names of every single martyr is present in the memorial.
Senior army officials welcomed the move and said that merging the flame with the National War Memorial was a natural thing to do.
Ved Malik, who led India during Kargil War, said that the move is a natural thing to do now as the National War Memorial has been established and all ceremonials related to remembrance and honouring soldiers are being held there.
A natural thing to do now that the National War Memorial has been established and all ceremonials related to remembrance and honouring soldiers killed in action are being held there. https://t.co/IjgYSnhmvF— Ved Malik (@Vedmalik1) January 21, 2022
Lt Gen Satish Dua, a retired army general, said that it gives him a great satisfaction that the eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti is being merged with the National War Memorial.
MERGING OF ETERNAL FLAME.It gives me great satisfaction that the eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate is being merged with the National War Memorial(NWM). As someone who had steered the design selection & construction of NWM, I'd been of this view all along… +1/2 pic.twitter.com/9l9AL0Dpza— Lt Gen Satish Dua???????? (@TheSatishDua) January 21, 2022
Military officials said on Thursday that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti will be extinguished on Friday afternoon and merged with the flame at the National War Memorial, which is just 400 metres away on the other side of India Gate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on February 25, 2019, inaugurated the National War Memorial, where names of 25,942 soldiers have been inscribed in golden letters on granite tablets.
The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame at India Gate will be extinguished after 50 years and merged with the flame at the National War Memorial here on Friday, military officials said.
The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who were killed in action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, which India won, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. It was inaugurated by the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, on January 26, 1972.
(With inputs from PTI)
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