CHENNAI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed India's "passion for freedom that knew not the boundaries of caste, creed, religion, state and age" while addressing the Tiranga Yatra in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
"On the one hand, we had the 17-year-old Khudiram Bose who had a long life before him to live (when he was hanged to death) and on the other, we had eighty-year-old Bapu Kuwar Singh who laid down his life for freedom in the battle of 1857," Shah remembered.
The Home Minister said such sacrifices weren't mere sacrifices -- they emphasised the importance these great Indians placed on living for the nation.
"Today we need not die (like Bose and Singh) for the nation. But no one can stop us from living for the nation," the Home Minister went on to say.
Shah also spoke of the events being held to celebrate the spirit of Independence. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav's goal is to commemorate and remember these great souls who contributed immensely to the independence struggle from 1857 to 1947, he said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi unleashed a wave of patriotism during the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. On the 15th of August 2023, the Amrit Mahotsav ends. But Modi ji has said that from the 15th of August 2023 to the 15th of August 2047, we will celebrate the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal," the Home Minister said.
"In these 25 years in the run-up to the 100th year of India's independence, we will all live to make the nation number one in every aspect. This era is very significant for our youths. The way the youths of this nation made the nation independent in the 90-year-long struggle for freedom beginning from the year 1857, they now have to dedicate their lives to making the nation great in the upcoming 25 years in the same way," he said.
Shah said he was "glad to see thousands and thousands of people standing before me with the tricolor in their hands making Modiji's vision a reality" in his own constituency.
The Home Minister also spoke of the Mera Desh Meri Mitti celebration that will see youths from across the India -- tricolour in hand -- carrying earth from their states with the slogan and handing it over to the Prime Minister. He expressed the hope that the Mera Desh Meri Mitti movement will help fulfil the "vision of a great Bharat, developed Bharat, Atmanirbhar Bharat".
Shah also appealed to all Indians to hoist the tiranga (tricolor) from August 13 to August 15 and to upload selfies on the celebration website.
"This move will fortify the resolve of making India great again among the youths of the nation," the Home Minister stressed.