New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually participated in an event to name the 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees on the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 126th birth anniversary on Monday. The largest unnamed island was named after the first Param Vir Chakra awardee, the second largest unnamed island was named after the second Param Vir Chakra awardee, and so on.
The Government had declared January 23 as Parakram Diwas in 2021 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. "Today, on Parakram Diwas, I pay homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and recall his unparalleled contribution to India’s history. He will be remembered for his fierce resistance to colonial rule. We are working to realise his vision for India," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet on Monday.
The islands have been named after 21 Param Veer Chakra awardees including Major Somnath Sharma, Subedar and Hony Captain (then Lance Naik) Karam Singh, 2nd Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane, Nayak Jadunath Singh, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh; Capt GS Salaria, Lieutenant Colonel (then Major) Dhan Singh Thapa, Subedar Joginder Singh, Major Shaitan Singh, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, Lance Naik Albert Ekka, Major Hoshiar Singh, Second Lt. Arun Khetrapal, Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon, Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran, Naib Subedar Bana Singh, Captain Vikram Batra, Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey, Subedar Major Sanjay Kumar and Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav (Retd).
"This land of Andaman is the land where the tricolor was hoisted for the first time. Where the government of independent India was formed for the first time. Today is the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Bose. The country celebrates this day as Parakram Diwas," PM Narendra Modi said.
Referring to the contributions of Savarkar, the freedom fighter who has been mired in conspiracy for his mercy petitions to the British colonial government he said, "Veer Savarkar and many other heroes who fought for the country were incarcerated in this land of the Andamans."
"When I visited Port Blair four to five years ago, I dedicated Indian names to the three main islands there," he said. Keeping in mind the historical significance of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and to honor the memory of Netaji, Ross Islands was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep by the Prime Minister during his visit to the Island in 2018. Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed as Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.
"Many messages are contained in the naming of the 21 islands which have got new names today. The message is of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat. This message is about the bravery of our Armed Forces," he said. "India First" was the only resolution for all 21 Paramveers, Modi said adding that in the naming of these islands, their resolution has become immortal.
Taking a dig at the Congress governments in the past, PM Modi said, "The potential of Andamans is huge. In the past eight years, the country has made continuous efforts in this direction. For decades, the potential of the country was underestimated. It was not recognised; no action was taken. But now, India is seen as capable of touching the heights of modern development. The islands of India can offer a lot to the world."
PM Modi also unveiled the model of the National Memorial dedicated to Netaji to be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep. "Giving due respect to the real-life heroes of the country has always been accorded the highest priority by the Prime Minister. Going ahead with this spirit, it has now been decided to name the 21 largest unnamed islands of the island group after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees," the statement from the PMO read.
Meanwhile, PM Modi along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Leaders of parties in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Members of Parliament, former Members of Parliament and other dignitaries wiil pay floral tributes at the portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Central Hall of Parliament House.
Born on January 23, 1897, Netaji played a crucial role in India's freedom movement. Subhash Chandra Bose established the Azad Hind Fauj. While there is a controversy over Bose's death in a plane crash in Taipei on August 18, 1945, the Central government had in an RTI (Right to Information) in 2017 confirmed that he had died in the incident. Last year, on the occasion of Netaji's 125th birth anniversary, the Prime Minister had unveiled the hologram statue of the freedom fighter at India Gate in Delhi. (With inputs from ANI)
