BJP to launch 3-day event to mark Bhagat Singh’s death anniversary

With the issue of nationalism dominating the political discourse, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced a three-day programme to comemmorate Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom and attacked Congress over its MP Shashi Tharoor’s remarks comparing Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Kanhaiya Kumar with the freedom fighter.

Seeking an apology from the Congress and Tharoor, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said the Opposition party may have distanced itself from its MP’s comments, but it was not adequate as he had not withdrawn it or expressed regret. “What is the Congress doing? For 12 years, it opposed (Narendra) Modi, for two years, it opposed development (under Modi), then it gave respectability to anti-India slogans raised in JNU and now insulting martyrs has become the identity of the Congress under Rahul Gandhi,” he said.

He alleged that the Congress chose to insult martyrs two days before their martyrdom day, a reference to the hanging of Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev on March 23, 1931, by the British.

Tharoor said so with an eye on Kerala Assembly polls, Javadekar alleged. BJP leaders across the country will pay tribute to the three martyrs on Wednesday, sing Singh’s favourite song ‘Rang de basanti chola’ on Holi – the day after and, on the last day, burn effigies of the “mindset that insults martyr”, Javadekar said.