'Tragic period': PM Modi pays homage on Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid homage to all the people who lost their lives during the partition of India and Pakistan.

"Today, on #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay, I pay homage to all those who lost their lives during partition, and applaud the resilience as well as grit of all those who suffered during that tragic period of our history," PM Modi said in a tweet.

PM Modi had last year announced that August 14 will be observed as 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day' to remind the nation of the sufferings and sacrifices of Indians during the partition in 1947.

"Partition's pains can never be forgotten. Millions of our sisters and brothers were displaced and many lost their lives due to mindless hate and violence. In memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, August 14 will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day," PM Modi had said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday inaugurated an exhibition on the theme 'Horrors of Partition' at the Parliament Library Building.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy were among the leaders present.

Last year, while talking about the government's decision, to celebrate Partition Horrors Remembrance Day on August 14, the Prime Minister said, "We celebrate independence, but the pain of partition still pierces the chest of India. It is one of the greatest tragedies of the last century and to remember the people who lost their lives during the partition, to honour the pain and sufferings faced by the people of India during the partition, we have decided to celebrate Partition Horrors Remembrance Day."

"May the #PartitionHorrorsRemembranceDay keep reminding us of the need to remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment," the Prime Minister had tweeted after announcing the Centre's decision.

Meanwhile this year, the country is observing great enthusiasm to celebrate the 75 years of India's Independence with the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign launched by PM Modi, wherein he appealed to the country persons to bring home the National Flag and hoist it.

Earlier, Indian citizens were not allowed to hoist the National Flag except on selected occasions. This changed after a decade-long legal battle by industrialist Naveen Jindal culminated in the landmark SC judgement of January 23, 2004 that declared that the right to fly the National Flag freely with respect and dignity is a fundamental right of an Indian citizen within the meaning of Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution of India.

Lauding the Centre and the Prime Minister for the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, Naveen Jindal has appealed to every Indian to make 'Har Din Tiranga' their motto.

The programme envisages inspiring Indians everywhere to hoist the national flag at their homes. The aim of the programme is to make the relationship with the national flag a more personal one rather than just keeping it formal or institutional.

The campaign is launched under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, whose official journey commenced on March 12, 2021, which started a 75-week countdown to our 75th anniversary of independence.