‘Insult of martyrs’, Rahul slams revamp of Jallianwala Bagh

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the government's revamp of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial an “insult to martyrs”, saying only a person who does not know the meaning of martyrdom can inflict such an insult.

The former Congress chief’s attack came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday dedicated to the nation the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh memorial. 

During the event, Modi also digitally inaugurated the museum galleries at the memorial. The event also showcased the multiple development initiatives undertaken by the government to upgrade the complex.

Tagging a report on the social media outrage over the revamp of the memorial, Gandhi tweeted, “Only a person who does not know the meaning of martyrdom can inflict such an insult on the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh.” “I am the son of a martyr — I will not tolerate the insult of martyrs at any cost,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. “We are against this indecent cruelty.” In another tweet, Gandhi said those who didn’t struggle for freedom can’t understand those who did.

Hours after Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh appeared to praise the makeover, saying it looked very nice to him. He, however, said he does not know what has been removed from the complex during the renovation of the memorial.

Prime Minister Narendra Mod had digitally dedicated the renovated complex of the Jallianwala Bagh memorial to the nation on August 28.