Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Punjab Chief Minister Capt (Retd) Amarinder Singh on Tuesday took contradictory positions over the renovated Jallianwala Bagh memorial that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
While Mr Gandhi called the inauguration event “an insult to martyrs”, the Punjab Chief Minister said the renovated memorial “looked very nice”.
Captain Amarinder’s remarks come in the middle of a turf war with Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was appointed by the Gandhis despite his stiff opposition.
“Such an insult to the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh can only be done by those who do not know the meaning of martyrdom. I am the son of a martyr - I will not tolerate the insult of martyrs at any cost. We are against this indecent cruelty,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
Several other Opposition leaders not only criticised the Jallianwala Bagh memorial makeover including the laser show during the inaugural event but also called it “scandalous”.
“Insulting our martyrs. Jallianwala Bagh massacre of Hindus Muslims Sikhs who gathered together for Baisakhi galvanised our freedom struggle. Every brick here permeated the horror of British rule. Only those who stayed away from the epic freedom struggle can scandalise thus,” CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted.
CPI’s D. Raja said, “It’s an irony that the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and its offshoots that never participated in the freedom movement are now rewriting history.”
Also read: Historians say the new-look Jallianwala Bagh is a distortion of history
Commenting on a tweet that showed the “beautification” of the memorial, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “The pain was real, the loss was immense, the tragedy was unforgettable. Sometimes the places evoke pain & serve as a reminder to what we lost & what we fought for. Trying to ‘beautify’ or ‘modify’ those memories is doing great damage to our collective history.”
Despite a volley of criticism from Opposition leaders, the Punjab Chief Minister, who was part of the virtual inauguration, praised the renovation.
“I don't know what has been removed. To me it looks very nice,” Capt Amarinder told reporters.
