PM Modi recalls Netaji's 'courage' on flag hoisting day in Port Blair

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commemorated the historic day of December 30, 1943, when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the tricolour in Port Blair. He hailed Netaji's 'courage and valour' in an X post, recalling the significant event.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday highlighted that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had hoisted the tricolour for the first time in Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on December 30, 1943. In an X post, recalling the historic event, PM Modi hailed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's "courage and valour."

"On this very day, December 30, 1943, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had hoisted the tricolour with courage and valour in Port Blair. That moment reminds us that freedom is not shaped merely by aspiration, but by capability, hard work, justice, and organised resolve," the Prime Minister wrote on X. "Today's subhashita expresses this very sentiment. Saamarthyamulm svaatantryam shrammulm ch vaibhvm. Nyaaymulm suraajyam syaat sanghmulm mahaabalm," he added.

Historical Significance of the Day

According to the Government of India, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had visited the South Andaman district in 1943. On December 30, 1943, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the Commander of the Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA), hoisted the Indian National Flag for the first time on the soil of Port Blair.

This historic event occurred after his escape from British surveillance on January 16, 1941, when he entered Indian soil. The flag hoisting symbolised the realisation of his promise that the Indian National Army would set foot on Indian soil by the end of 1943. This also marked a declaration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the "first liberated territory of India".

Sankalp Smarak: A Tribute to Martyrs

In remembrance of this momentous occasion and as a tribute to the brave martyrs, the Sankalp Smarak was inaugurated in Port Blair. The Sankalp Smarak was dedicated to the nation by Lt Gen Ajai Singh, Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN), exactly 78 years after Netaji's arrival on December 29, 2021, a press release from the Ministry of Defence said. (ANI)

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