MANGALURU: Dakshina Kannada MP and state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Sunday launched the ‘Nanna Mannu, Nanna Desha’ (My Soil, My Nation) campaign in Mangaluru, and said that the soil from Dakshina Kannada will be collected and sent for the construction of ‘Amruta Vana,’ a memorial park for martyrs at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.
Kateel called upon the people of Dakshina Kannada to come forward and join the campaign to collect soil from every nook and corner of the district and send it to New Delhi for the construction of the memorial park.
“Earlier, pieces of iron from across Dakshina Kannada were collected and sent to Gujarat for the construction of the Statue of Unity, which is dedicated to former Union home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Citizens had also joined their hands in building the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. ‘My Soil, My Nation’ is the third such initiative in which people will participate actively. Now, we will collect soil from our district for the memorial park, and thereby, remember martyrs from our district, who have sacrificed their lives and contributed to the freedom struggle and development of our country,” he said.
He further added that India will become one of the top countries in the world in the next 25 years. BJP leaders launched the campaign by pouring soil collected from the premises of Kadri Manjunatha, Mangaladevi, Somanatheshwara, Kudroli Gokarna and Sharavu Mahaganapathi temples. Vedavyas Kamath, MLA from Mangaluru City South Constituency, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon citizens of the country to join hands in building this unique park for martyrs. MLC K Pratap Simha Nayak said the campaign will create awareness among the youth about the rich legacy of the country and the martyrs’ sacrifices.