Sonowal visits martyrs' memorial, calls for rooting out graft

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today visited the martyrs memorial and hailed the brave hearts who had laid down their lives in the Freedom Struggle at Barhampur in Nagaon district and called upon the four pillars of democracy to work for building a corruption-free society.

Sonowal visited the places where the four martyrs -- Bolo Sut, Thogi Sut, Lakhi Hazarika and Bhoogeswari Phukononi -- were shot dead and also their samadhi sthal (creamtion place).

Inaugurating a programme synchronizing with the platinum jubilee observance of Quit India Movement and in memory of the unparalleled sacrifice of the four martyrs at Barhampur, the Chief Minister paid rich tributes to them and termed their sacrifice as a symbol of encouragement for the people of the state to work and transform Assam into a state of the dreams of the freedom fighters.
 

"Their fortitude and supreme sacrifices are again a motivating factor for the people of Assam to face all challenges and propel the development of the state", the Chief Minister said.

Reiterating the commitment of the state government to form a state free from corruption, illegal migration, insurgency and pollution, Sonowal said, "Ever since the BJP led government came to power, it has been working resolutely to make Assam free from all these four evils."

He also called upon the people to extend cooperation to the government to work on these four tenets and help in successful implementation of all its welfare schemes.

Terming corruption as the worst evil for the state to pursue its development mantra, the Chief Minister underscored the need for the four pillars of democracy - legislative, executive, judiciary and the press - to work in tandem to build a society free from corruption.

"If this can be done, the sacrifices of our martyrs, especially those for whom we have assembled here today, will remain immortal", Sonowal observed.

The chief minister also announced that Rs 25 lakh would be granted to set up a central library at Barhampur in the memory of the four freedom fighters.

MLA and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta ministers Atul Bora, Keshav Mahanta and several legislators were present at the event presided over by Mahanta's wife and former MP Jayashree Goswami Mahanta.