Amar Jawan Jyoti row: Govt sources claim flame being merged; allege misinformation
Sources in the government "correct the perspective" on the matter.
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FollowA day after the decision to put out the eternal flame at India Gate earned the government a heap of criticism, sources in the government have sought to "correct the perspective" on the matter.
Citing that there has been a lot of misinformation doing the rounds, sources claimed that the flame of the Amar Jawan Jyoti was not being extinguished, but being "merged" with the flame at the National War Memorial.
Further explaining the notion of "merging" the flames, sources said, 'It is an odd thing to see that the flame at Amar Jawan Jyoti paid homage to the martyrs of the 1971 and other wars but none of their names are present there. India Gate is a symbol of our colonial past as the names inscribed on it are of only some martyrs who fought for the British in World War 1 and the Anglo-Afghan War.'
Asserting that the names of "Indian martyrs" from all the wars, including those before and after 1971 are housed at the National War Memorial, the government sources said that made the latter was "a true shraddhanjali (homage) to have the flame paying tribute to martyrs there".Â
According to government sources, it is ironic that people who did not make a National War Memorial for seven decades are now making a hue and cry when a permanent tribute is being made to our martyrs.
The clarification comes at a time when the government has been facing brickbats for the decision, especially the Congress party which wondered whether history is going to be erased to suit the whims of the BJP govt.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the government move showed that it had no respect for democratic tradition. Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi asked the NArendra Modi government about how many more ideas and monuments that people hold dear need to be reworked to make way for a 'New India'
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