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Nation commemorates First War of Independence

	May 14, 2007

India commemorated 150 years of the First War of Independence with a spectacular cultural show at the Red Fort in Delhi and with a call for creating a new India which is inclusive as well as caring.



The nearly one-hour long extravaganza was watched by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh and Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar.



Dressed in white kurta-pyjama, a large number of young men and women who marched all the way from Kranti Park in Meerut - that hosted the inaugural function on May 6 - to Red Fort, sat intently through the programme with occasional bursts of “Vande Matram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”



On May 11, 1857, hundreds of sepoys reached Delhi from Meerut to persuade Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar to lead them in their struggle for freedom from foreign rule.



Addressing the gathering, Kalam shared his vision of a developed India with them - a country where there is employment, health and food security for all, the rural-urban divide is bridged and there is a transparent and corruption-free administration. He urged the youth to resolve to launch a second freedom struggle to transform India into a developed country before 2020.

Dr. Manmohan Singh said the most special thing about the 1857 uprising was that it brought together people from different religions, communities and regions to fight for a common cause.



He said the youth must understand that the country attained Independence after a lot of struggle and sacrifices. Every citizen must value the ideals and feelings that guided the freedom movement.



Shekhawat, Chatterjee, Sonia Gandhi and Arjun Singh upheld the significance of the First War of Independence and underscored the relevance of “Unity in Diversity.”



Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day on May 11 to mark the 150th anniversary of the First War of Independence.



A day earlier, on Thursday, May 10, the historic Central Hall of Parliament came alive to the collective memories of the nation spread over 150 years.



Evocative music, poetry and resounding speeches brought to mind the events that led to the start of India’s tryst with destiny in this very hall at the stroke of midnight of August 14/15, 1947.



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the events of 1857 were “a great testimony and tribute to the tradition of Hindu-Muslim unity in India.” He noted that both Karl Marx and Benjamin Disraeli, viewing the events from a distance and from different ideological perspectives, had concluded that 1857 was nothing short of a national revolt against foreign rule.



To emphasise this lesson from history, Dr. Singh quoted Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who wrote: “Hindus and Muslims stood shoulder to shoulder ... There is no record of a single incident of conflict or clash on a religious basis even though there are instances where British officers tried to weaken the Indian camp by stressing such differences. India faced the trial of 1857 as a united community.”



The Prime Minister emphasised that it was our responsibility to ensure that a new prosperous India was “inclusive as well as caring.”





Kalam for two-party system



President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam spoke of the need to evolve a two-party mechanism, a challenge he said the nation faces in this era of multi-party coalitions. “....the emergence of multi-party coalitions as a regular form of Government, that needs to rapidly evolve as a stable, two-party system. There is also a need to strengthen internal security to cope with global terrorism and new forms of internal law and other problems,” he said.



Kalam’s anguish found relevance when Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal stunned the gathering moments before the President’s address by rising in protest during the course of Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat’s address. He protested against the 1845 Anglo-Sikh war not being treated as the first war of independence.



The two major Left parties, the CPI(M) and the CPI, have taken strong exception to President Kalam’s idea of introducing a two-party system in India. “We take strong objection to it. It is unwarranted, harmful and not in tune with the democratic traditions of the country,” CPI leader in the Lok Sabha Gurudas Dasgupta told reporters. Nilotpal Basu, CPI(M) leader, was equally strong in his criticism of Kalam’s statement.



The Congress reacted guardedly both to President APJ Abdul Kalam’s call for a two party system and to Deputy Speaker Atwal’s alleged violation of propriety in protesting at a Central Hall function that it was a misnomer to call 1857 as the first war of independence as the Anglo-Sikh wars preceded it.



According to spokesman Abhishek Singhvi, any suggestion from the President needs to be looked at, discussed and debated. “The proposal has its pluses and minuses. The Congress cannot take a view on it unless there is an indepth discussion. The view has to follow not precede discussion,” he said, sidestepping the question whether the party supported or disagreed with the Presidential observation at the function in the Central Hall of Parliament.



He sidestepped the question whether it was proper for Atwal to lodge his protest when Vice President Shekhawat was reading out his speech. “A view had been expressed by him which may be inconsistent with the Government’s view.”