Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hailed the “power of the tricolour” and said it was seen in Ukraine some time ago when the Tiranga became a protective shield not only for Indians, but also for people of other countries in escaping to safer regions.
The Prime Minister was addressing the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022 medal winners at his residence on a day the countrywide Har Ghar Tiranga campaign kicked off.
Modi also launched the campaign’s anthem on Twitter saying the kind of enthusiasm seen among people towards the Har Ghar Tiranga drive is a symbol of the unwavering spirit of unity and integrity of the nation.
The PM urged citizens of the country to share a photo with the Tiranga on the official website of Har Ghar Tiranga to mark the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. “Overjoyed and proud of the amazing response to the #HarGharTiranga movement. We are seeing record participation from people across different walks of life. This is a great way to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. Do also share your photo with the Tiranga on https://harghartiranga.com,” he tweeted.
Individuals to large groups of men, women or children organised their ways to celebrate and cheer the Tiranga which found itself fluttering on tall commercial buildings, busy markets, traffic-jammed road signals, innocuous huts, boats, snowy mountains, islands, forest areas, and millions of homes. Even the homeless were seen holding or pitching the tricolour around their humble make-shift beds.
The Prime Minister said it is needless to say that entire nation has come together to make the campaign a success.
Congratulating the CWG award winners and expressing happiness over champions emerging from the “Khelo India” stage, Modi said, “Due to the splendid hard work of the sportspersons, the country is entering into the ‘Azadi ka Amrit kaal’ with an inspiring achievement.”
The Prime Minister said the athletes inspire the youth of the country to do better not only in sports but also in other sectors. “You weave the country in unity of thought and goal that was also one of the great strengths of our freedom
struggle.”
BJP leaders, including Union Ministers, participated in the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign on Saturday across the country as the three-day exercise began to mark India’s 75th year of independence.
Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda along with their wives hoisted the tricolour at their Delhi residences and urged the people to “make the campaign a success”.
“The country is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Under PM Modi, the whole country has taken an oath to hoist tricolour under Har Ghar Tiranga programme. I request everyone to make Har Ghar Tiranga successful,” Nadda said.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attended a Tiranga bike rally at Rourkela in Odisha while another Union Minister Bhupender Yadav visited Ballia in Uttar Pradesh to pay tributes to freedom fighter Chittu Pandey while hoisting the tricolour. Their Cabinet colleague Anurag Thakur hoisted the flag at his residence.
Party leaders were seen attending different programmes, including “Prabhat Pheri” and Tiranga rallies in various cities.
Celebrating the tricolour hoisting, Central Minister Piyush Goyal said, “Modi has given a new direction to country. Crores will hoist tricolour flag on Independence Day. This will give a message to the world about India’s growing strength, unity & its dedication to becoming a developed country in the next 25 years.”
The BJP made light of the Congress’ criticism of the Government for not holding any function in Parliament to mark the 75th year of Independence, and asked it to share pictures of its leaders hoisting the Tiranga as part of an ongoing official campaign. The BJP said celebrations of the 75th anniversary of independence should not be a matter of politics.
In UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the Har Ghar Tiranga yatra along with schoolchildren at his residence in Lucknow.
The Kashmir Valley entering the third-year of revocation of article 370 witnessed a unique Tiranga rally by women on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar, organized by the district administration. A massive walkathon rally was also organised by CRPF in Budgam in Kashmir.
In an interesting aside, the family of two fugitive terrorists hoisted tricolour at their residence in Doda, Jammu, under the campaign. “We always hoist the Tiranga on Independence Day. My brother is a terrorist in Pakistan. He was underage when he went. We want him to come back,” said one of the family members.
Prime Minister’s mother Hiraba, who entered the 100th year of her life in June this year, distributed national flags to children at her residence on the outskirts of Gandhinagar city in Gujarat.
In the national Capital, the Delhi Metro hoisted the national flag at its 23 stations.
The Prime Minister had on July 22 appealed citizens to hoist tricolour at their homes. The idea behind the campaign is to connect with the masses and infuse a sense of nationalism and patriotism.
