AAP leader Rai urges PM Modi to set up freedom fighters' memorial in front of Rashtrapati Bhawan

Gopal Rai said that India Gate was built by the Britishers in the memory of soldiers martyred during First World War and name of not even a single martyr of country's freedom movement is there on India Gate.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai. File image.

Delhi Cabinet Minister Gopal Rai on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a memorial for the martyrs of the country's freedom movement in front of Rashtrapati Bhawan to pay tributes to them.

Mr. Rai posted a video message on his Twitter account and said that there is no dedicated memorial for the freedom fighters who laid their lives for the independence of the country.

He said that India Gate was built by the Britishers in the memory of soldiers martyred during First World War and name of not even a single martyr of country's freedom movement is there on India Gate.

"The country is celebrating 75th year of Independence but in all these years we could not make even a memorial dedicated to our martyrs of freedom struggle. I request you (Narendra Modi) to build a national memorial for martyred freedom fighters.”

"I hope that you will construct a memorial for martyred freedom fighters in front of Rashtrapati Bhawan and start a new tradition of paying tributes to our lakhs of martyred freedom fighters at there on August 15 (Independence Day) and January 26 (Republic Day),” Mr. Rai said in his video message.

He added that it is unfortunate that instead of paying homage to the freedom fighters, for last 75 years our governments had been paying tributes at India Gate on occasions of Independence Day and Republic Day. He said that India Gate doesn't have names of freedom fighters like Mangal Pandey, Rani Laxmi Bai, Tatya Tope, Nana Sahab, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Birsa Munda, Jhalkari Bai and many more.

He said that we should pay homage to the freedom fighters on their memorial on the occasions of Independence Day and Republic Day as the country was freed from the British due to their supreme sacrifices.

Last week, the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Eternal Flame) was shifted from the India Gate and was merged with the flame at National War Memorial, which is only a few hundred metres away from the India Gate.

It had also triggered a controversy as the opposition parties criticised the move.