Mother India has given birth to many valiant heroes who have left no stone unturned to honor the integrity of motherland even at cost of their own lives. Gen Z has inherited independence from their forefathers who selflessly fought for freedom and liberation till their last breath. No matter how many texts we read or documentaries we watch, we cannot ever fully fathom the precarious situations of countrymen under British rule.
We owe the privilege of independence to the revolutionary antics of Bhagat Singh, the non-violent acumen of Mahatma Gandhi, the bravery of the ferocious trio of Lal Bal Pal, the wisdom of Sardar Patel, the heroics of Shubash Chandra Bose, the literary wonder of Jawaharlal Nehru, and several others whose courageous sacrifices didn’t find a mention in our social science books. There are only a handful of freedom fighters whose stories have found space in electronic or print media. The uncanny media bias has wronged the might of our unsung heroes.
Our national politics has evolved over the years although it still hinges on polarization, sensationalism, and allegations. A new trend that has always been there in hindsight but has come to the forefront only in the recent past is- monopolization of freedom fighters. Politics has always been petty but I am sure our forefathers wouldn’t have imagined that one day it would stoop so low that their contributions would be validated and compared.
Recently, the inauguration of a fully constructed flyover in Bangalore was postponed after a row erupted between the ruling party and the opposition over its nomenclature. The BJP led Karnataka government had decided to name the flyover after its Hindutva ideologue, Veer Savarkar who was shunned by the Congress party.
Veer Savarkar, a staunch nationalist who served two life terms in the Kala Pani jail under British rule and later served as the president of Hindu Mahasabha, was implicated in Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Although the judicial system granted him a clean chit, the Nehru-Gandhi family always maintained a distance from him. With BJP’s entry into New Delhi, Savarkar found his way back into mainstream politics.
Well, this isn’t the first such incident. In the past also, the ruling party and the opposition have locked horns overusing the names of kings, freedom fighters, or political luminaries. In 2018, the name of Akbar road was changed overnight, though temporarily. Some vandals mounted a poster of ‘Maharana Pratap’ on Akbar road to mark his birth anniversary. The poster was later removed under police supervision.
In 2016 a BJP leader had proposed to rename the road after Maharana Pratap, though the government didn’t cede to his proposal. Isn’t it ironic that some people want to rename the road that honors one of the finest Mughal kings of medieval India while every year the Prime Minister unfurls the tri-color from the ramparts of Red Fort built by none other than the Mughals?
Naming a road or a building after a stalwart is a way to show gratitude for their feats, achievement, and contribution to nation-building. It is the country’s way to pay respect to the bravest of the brave for their unwavering love for the motherland. Sadly, all of that has been reduced to nothing but political showdown.
According to an RTI in 2012, around 350 roads, stadiums, institutes, awards, and government schemes were named after the Nehru-Gandhi family alone. The naming of government property is now a tool for political parties to flex their might and undermine their rivals. It is not an exaggeration to say that political parties have copyright over our leaders and the naming is done strategically to glorify those who are associated with the top brass of the party.
While the politicians repeatedly fail to live up to their promises, they haven’t refrained from politicizing the freedom fighters who worked relentlessly, diligently, and incessantly towards fulfilling the promise of national independence. British divided the country in the name of religion and the politicians are doing so in the name of freedom fighters. Beware India!