BHOPAL: Ahead of the 72nd Independence Day celebrations, Madhya Pradesh government will observe August 14 as ‘Shahid Samman Divas’. Ministers, members of Parliament and state legislative assembly will meet family members of martyrs on the occasion to express gratitude for the supreme sacrifice done by their near and dear for the nation.

"We remember our martyrs and will observe ‘Shahid Samman Divas’ on August 14 in the entire state. Ministers, MPs and MLAs of BJP, members and workers of the party and myself will meet the families of martyrs to honour them. This will be an extensive programme in all villages, blocks and districts where rallies will be held to mark the day," said chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’, in Bhind, on Sunday.

Chouhan’s announcement to honour martyrs and their families could be judged as a decision ahead of assembly polls slated for this year end but, his announcement in Bhind, a district where every household has at least one member serving in the Indian Army , holds a lot more significance. Bhind is the only district in Madhya Pradesh, which has the highest number of 81 martyrs, 16 gallantry awardees and 25,000 soldiers serving on the borders of the country.

Chouhan said that he was accorded a warm welcome throughout his yatra in the region but, he himself felt indebted to the martyrs and salute the land of Bhind, Morena and the entire Chambal region, which gave the country great warriors, who laid down their lives for the land.

"This is the land of martyrs and jawans and ready to shed every drop of their blood for the nation. But, there are a few like Congress who respect terrorists more than martyrs. They address them with honour suffixing ‘ji’ to their name and also raises doubts on the martyrdom of our brave soldiers. Congress even demanded evidence on operations like surgical strike, Batla house encounter, insulting the martyrs like Mohan Dutt Sharma, who laid his life fighting terrorists," said Chouhan.

Recalling the police action in dacoit-infested area of Chambal region, Chouhan said that it was during Congress regime when bandits were a synonym for terror in the entire Chambal valley. It was BJP, he said, which eliminated dacoits to restore peace in the region.

"Not only dacoits were killed, BJP government supplied water of Chambal river to Bhind and to the last village in the region. Now are working on Chambal Expressway to bring development to the area. Surprisingly, Congress which blames BJP had failed to bring any development during its ten-year regime," said Chouhan.

Replying to a query on Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia's remarks that during BJP rule, the state has been ruined, Chouhan said that he should introspect and recall whether the state was developed or ruined in Congress rule. In fact, he said, Congress had failed in every aspect from supplying water, electricity to the construction of roads during its rule.

