Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Martyrs’ Memorial dedicated to the First War of Independence on November 5: Energy Minister Anil Vij

The Energy Minister appealed to people to attend the rally to be held at Gandhi Ground in Ambala Cantt on the inauguration occasion in large numbers

Books have taught that the Congress fought the struggle for independence, but in 1857, an armed struggle was fought across India even before the Congress was born” — Anil Vij

I raised the demand for the construction of the Martyrs’ Memorial several times in the Assembly; approval was granted when our government came to power” — Anil Vij

Energy Minister Anil Vij addressed BJP office-bearers at a meeting held to review preparations for the Martyrs’ Memorial inauguration 

programme on November 5

Chandigarh, October 28 

Haryana’s Energy, Transport and Labour Minister, Sh. Anil Vij said that Union Home Minister Mr. Amit Shah is coming on November 5 to inaugurate the "Aazadi ki Pehli Ladai ka Shaheed Smarak" built in Ambala Cantonment. The memorial will be inaugurated first, followed by a large workers’ rally at Gandhi Ground. He said that it is significant for people to attend the rally because they will be participating in an event honouring a martyrs’ memorial. After the inauguration on November 5, the Martyrs’ Memorial will be opened to the public from November 6. He said the government has also issued instructions for students from various schools and educational institutions in Haryana to be shown the memorial, so that young people learn that the freedom struggle began in Ambala before Meerut in 1857. He urged people to attend the rally at Gandhi Ground, Ambala Cantonment, in large numbers on November 5, as it will mark the inauguration of a national-level memorial.

Sh. Vij was addressing BJP office-bearers today at Ambala Club in Ambala, at a meeting chaired by BJP State President Dr. Archana Gupta, to review preparations for the Martyrs’ Memorial programme scheduled for November 5.

Earlier, welcoming BJP State President Dr. Archana Gupta, Energy Minister Anil Vij said that within a short time of assuming office, Dr. Gupta had filled party workers with electric enthusiasm. Based on his experience, he said, the BJP will make great progress under Dr. Archana Gupta’s leadership, and the government will fully meet people’s expectations.

Books have taught that the Congress fought the struggle for independence, but in 1857, an armed struggle was fought across India even before the Congress was born” — Anil Vij

Energy Minister Anil Vij said he had been working for the construction of the Martyrs’ Memorial for the past 25–30 years. He said that books taught that the Congress fought the independence struggle, but when he read further, he found that in 1857—before the Congress was even founded—an armed struggle for independence was fought across India, and it began in Ambala. He said documents show that in 1857, at 9 a.m., ten hours before the uprising in Meerut, the 60th and 5th Native Infantry regiments sounded the bugle of the freedom struggle at Ambala Cantonment. Yet history never remembered those heroes who were tied to trees and shot, or those upon whom oil mills were operated; the nation never paid tribute to those martyrs, which is painful. The martyrs of 1857 were also sons of the motherland who joined the struggle for independence. He said that anyone who took even one step out of their home for independence deserves homage, whether they were a Congress member or not.

I raised the demand for the construction of the Martyrs’ Memorial several times in the Assembly; approval was granted when our government came to power” — Anil Vij

Energy Minister Anil Vij said that the First War of Independence took place across the country in 1857, but no one remembered it, and no memorial existed anywhere to showcase that struggle. He said he stood in the Assembly several times to demand the memorial’s construction and that there is an official record of this. At one point, he said, he even compelled the Congress government, but it did not build the memorial. However, when the BJP government came to power in 2014, it approved the construction of a national-level memorial.

The memorial was built at a cost of ₹800 crore; history will be showcased through modern technology: Vij

Energy Minister Anil Vij said that the complete history of the Martyrs’ Memorial dedicated to the First War of Independence of 1857 will be displayed there. The places where battles were fought in 1857—in Haryana, Bihar, Punjab, and elsewhere—will be presented through modern technology showing the history of the war. The Martyrs’ Memorial has been built at a cost of approximately ₹800 crore, and he is confident that people from across India will come to see it. He believes that when foreign guests visit, they will come to see the Martyrs’ Memorial along with the Taj Mahal; for this reason, a helipad facility has also been provided. Energy Minister Anil Vij said that it will take about six hours to see the vast Martyrs’ Memorial. Guides will provide visitors with complete information. There will be an open-air theatre with a capacity of about 2,500 people, where an evening light, laser and sound show will be projected on a large lotus-shaped structure.

The lotus-shaped memorial tower in the memorial will be the centre of attraction: Vij

Energy Minister Anil Vij said that once, the son of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda questioned whether Anil Vij had made his party’s election symbol into the memorial. Vij responded that while the lotus is indeed the party’s election symbol, the lotus flower and roti were symbolically sent from one regiment to another during the 1857 struggle; if a regiment accepted the roti, it was understood that the regiment was ready. Roti and lotus flowers were sent across the country. He said that when he told Deepender Hooda to read history, he understood and did not speak on the matter again.

Energy Minister Anil Vij said that the Martyrs’ Memorial includes a 68-metre-high lotus-shaped memorial tower with two high-speed lifts. A museum has also been built inside the lotus flower, which will be a major attraction. He said a gallery has also been created in the memorial for paying tribute to the martyrs, and everyone entering it will be digitally recorded.