Rahul Gandhi to lay foundation stone of 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' in Raipur on Thursday

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced on Saturday that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of an 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' in Chhattisgarh's Raipur on Thursday.

According to an official statement, Amar Jawan Jyoti will be constructed in the premises of 4th Battalion, Chhattisgarh Armed Forces Mana, Raipur. The flame of Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will continue to be lit in honour of the martyrs.

He will perform `bhoomi poojan' (ground-breaking ceremony) for the memorial on February 3.

"Congress party has a history of sacrifices and had many great leaders who sacrificed their everything for the service of the nation. The party knows how to honour sacrifices. Our history has been a witness that any society which does not honour its martyrs, does not preserve the memories of their sacrifices, insults their signs, that society is destroyed" said Baghel.

"In the year 1972, the first female Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira Gandhi lit the Amar Jawan Jyoti in New Delhi in honour of the martyred brave soldiers of the country. However, the central government has merged the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame with the one at the National War Memorial," he said.

"The eternal flame of Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was visible to the visitors and instilled in them a sense of pride and gratitude towards the martyrs of the country," he added.

Expressing his dissatisfaction over the centre's move of shifting Amar Jawan Jyoti, Baghel said that it has hurt his sentiments, but now the flame of Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will be lit in the honor of the martyrs in Raipur as well.

"We will honor the martyrdom of the sons of Chhattisgarh who sacrificed their lives for the country by joining uniformed services, as well as the bravehearts of the country who sacrificed their lives in Chhattisgarh through 'Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti'," the Chief Minister said.

A wall with names of Martyrs, memorial tower and VVIP platform will also be set up at Amar Jawan Jyoti in Chhattisgarh. The wall will be constructed with brown marble with the names of Martyrs engraved on the same. This crescent-shaped wall will be about 25 feet high having a length of about 100 feet, and the thickness of this wall will be 3 feet.

The memorial tower will be set up of sandstone, brown white marble granite in front of a crescent-shaped wall. A memento will be made on its top. Rifle and helmet will be in the form of insignia on the base in front of the memorial tower. The flame of Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will be lit in front of this symbol which will be ignited 24 hours by fuel supply through underground pipelines.

A fort-like two-storey building will be constructed just in front of the memorial tower, the length of the base of which will be 150 feet and the width will be 90 feet. The height of this building will be 40 feet.

The Chief Minister expressed hope that soon Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti will be established as a place of pride for the country.