Zee Media Bureau/Sushmita Dutta
New Delhi: Reacting to a media report regarding the inconspicuous absence from government records the name of Bhagat Singh, who sacrificed his life for the country, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said that, "Bhagat Singh is a martyr and part of our proud national legacy."
"The supreme sacrifice made by `Shaheed` Bhagat Singh should not be questioned by
anyone in the country," PM said in a statement today.
The statement came against the backdrop of the Home Ministry`s reply to an RTI application, saying that it has no record to show whether Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were declared martyrs or not.
"The reports about the controversy on this subject are hurtful to a nation that is indebted to the struggle and sacrifices of our freedom fighters," the statement said.
Further emphasizing on the sacrifices made by the great freedom fighter, PM added, " `Shaheed` Bhagat Singh was a martyr in the supreme national cause of independence is a fact."
"It is not dependent on the presumed presence or absence of official records. His (Bhagat Singh) role in our freedom struggle is an inalienable part of the discourse of our independence. He (Bhagat Singh) is a part of our proud national legacy," the Prime Minister further said.
While appealing to all citizens to desist from creating a controversy over this issue, PM said, "The nation will always be grateful to `Shaheed` Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters who laid down their lives for a better future for India."
