BJP MLA seeks memorial in Delhi for victims of 1984

City govt should provide land for monument

Punjab BJP MLA and former industry minister Manoranjan Kalia on Monday said a monument in Delhi to pay tribute to all those who lost their lives in the 1984 riots was needed, and should be set up at the earliest.

Kalia also asked Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to announce a memorial, similar to the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar, which will commemorate the “incomparable sacrifices” made by the people of Punjab across party lines to attain peace and harmony in the state.

“After independence, the biggest genocide in which thousands lost their lives was the 1984 massacre. Even till date, families of the bereaved have not got justice,” Kalia said,
“It will be a fitting tribute if a monument is build in Delhi. Let the Delhi government give land for the purpose and all Punjabis will contribute to build it,” Kalia added.

Lauding the initiative of the SAD-BJP combine in building monuments, including Viraste-a-Khalsa, Chappar Chidi, Chota Galughara and Bada Ghalugara, Kalia said people from all walks of life and political leaders have contributed for peace and harmony in Punjab.

In the state Assembly on Monday, Kalia recollected sacrifices of leaders across party lines, such as Harchand Singh Longowal (SAD), former CM Beant Singh (Congress), Babu Hitabilashi ( BJP), Lala Jagat Narain, Romesh Chander, Darshan Singh Canadian (CPI) and Sarwan Singh Cheema (CPM), who were among thousands of people who laid down their lives for peace in the state.

“I ask the chief minister, who himself is a symbol of Hindu-Sikh unity in the state, to build a monument that will become a Tirath Sathal like Jallianwala Bagh,” said Kalia.

Memorials such as Viraste-a-Khalsa and Chappar Chidi set up by the SAD-BJP combine is an attempt to keep the coming generations attuned with history and heritage of Punjab.

“Our revered gurus not only raised their voice against tyrant rulers of their time, but also fought against them and encouraged people to fight them,” said Kalia.

“It is the Punjabis who gave the maximum sacrifice to emancipate the country from the shackles of slavery for a thousand years,” Kalia said.