Raipur: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced on Saturday that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of an 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' in Chhattisgarh's Raipur on 3rd February.
According to an official statement, Amar Jawan Jyoti will be constructed in the premises of 4th Battalion, Chhattisgarh Armed Forces Mana, Raipur. The flame of Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will continue to be lit in honour of the martyrs. He will perform `bhoomi poojan' (ground-breaking ceremony) for the memorial on February 3.
"Congress party has a history of sacrifices and had many great leaders who sacrificed their everything for the service of the nation. The party knows how to honour sacrifices. Our history has been a witness that any society which does not honour its martyrs, does not preserve the memories of their sacrifices, insults their signs, that society is destroyed" said Baghel.
"In the year 1972, the first female Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi lit the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi in honour of the martyred brave soldiers of the country. However, the central government has merged the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame with the one at the National War Memorial," he said. "The eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was visible to the visitors and instilled in them a sense of pride and gratitude towards the martyrs of the country," he added.
Expressing his dissatisfaction over the centre's move of shifting Amar Jawan Jyoti, Baghel said that it has hurt his sentiments, but now the flame of Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will be lit in the honor of the martyrs in Raipur as well.