Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu deplored that many of our heroes of the freedom struggle did not get the recognition and respect they deserved, in our history books. Therefore, he called for making people aware of the sacrifices made by such great men and women so as to inspire the new generation to walk in their footsteps and work for nation building.
Addressing a gathering after releasing the biography of late freedom fighter and political leader, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, the Vice President said that the history of our freedom struggle is replete with innumerable stories of sacrifice and selfless devotion to the motherland and we should be proud of our glorious past.
The book titled, ‘Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna: A Political Crusader’ (English) and ‘Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna: Bhartiya Chetana KeSamwahak’ (Revised edition in Hindi) has been written by Prof. Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Dr. Ram Naresh Tripathi.
Calling Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna as a renowned freedom fighter, a principled politician and astute administrator, the Vice President said that he dedicated his entire life to the service of the nation. “When we go through his biography, at the first glance it appears that he was a rebel, but as we read on, it becomes clear that to him the Nation came first,” he added.
Observing that Bahuguna was deeply wedded to the concept of liberty, Naidu said that he joined the freedom movement at the young age of seventeen and was imprisoned and tortured by British authorizes for his role in Quit India movement.
Praising his selfless love for motherland, the Vice President referred to an incident wherein Bahuguna declined to accept a piece of land offered to him under freedom fighter quota, with a request that it may be allotted to some other needy freedom fighter.
Calling Bahuguna a man of principles and Gandhian values, he lauded him for opposing the imposition of Emergency in the country. Referring to his sensitive and caring nature, he said that since his student days, Bahuguna always took up the cause of poor children at school and tried to help them in various ways.
“As Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the state stood first in India in land distribution to the SC/ST community. Impressed by his contribution Vinoba Bhave gave him the title of Mitti Nandan,” he added.
