Adityanath pays tributes to Azad, Tilak on their birth anniversary

PTI, Jul 23, 2024, 12:03 PM IST

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday paid tributes to freedom fighters Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandrashekhar Azad on their birth anniversary. In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, “Humble tributes to the great freedom fighter, nationalist thinker, ‘Lokmanya’ Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his birth anniversary who ignited the flame of revolution against the British rule for independence!”

Paying tributes to revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad, Adityanath, in another post on X in Hindi, said, “Humble tributes to the great revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad on his birth anniversary, who sacrificed his life to free Mother India from the shackles of slavery!” “Your life of sacrifice dedicated to the service of Mother India will continue to inspire countless youth to serve the nation,” he added.

President Droupadi Murmu’s Customary ‘Dahi-Cheeni for Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (See Pics). Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak also paid glowing tributes to the two freedom fighters. Azad, who died at the young age of 24, organised and led revolutionary organisations which did not fully believe in the non-violence espoused by Mahatma Gandhi. Determined to remain ‘azad’ (free), he took his own life rather than surrender during a gunfight with British forces when he was left with only one bullet. He remains an iconic figure of the armed movement against the colonial forces along with the likes of Bhagat Singh. Tilak, born in 1856, was among the first leaders with a pan-India appeal to have emerged in the freedom movement. He gave the slogan “Swaraj is birthright, and I shall have it” and mobilised masses around cultural and political causes to build support for the freedom movement.