The Leader of the Opposition in the Haryana Assembly Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday criticised the statement made by Padma Shri awardee and film actor Kangana Ranaut recently on India’s independence. “No one can be allowed to insult the freedom struggle and freedom fighters of the country,” Mr. Hooda said.
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Ms. Ranaut had said that “India attained freedom in 2014”, and what it got in 1947 was “alms”. Mr. Hooda demanded that the Padma award given to the actress, who had “humiliated the sacrifice of our great freedom fighters during the freedom struggle”, should be withdrawn.
“Our country got freedom after years of struggle and countless sacrifices. Those who think that the country has got freedom as bheekh (alms), have probably never even read about the freedom movement,” Mr. Hooda said.
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“Countless freedom fighters fought for the country’s independence. Some of these great women and men even sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country. It is due to their sacrifices and lifelong struggles that we are a free country today,” he added.
Mr. Hooda said he himself belonged to a freedom fighter’s family. “My late father, Chaudhary Ranbir Singh Hooda, suffered atrocities by the British during the freedom struggle and spent many years in various jails. The sacrifices of thousands of such great freedom fighters forced the British to leave India and flee,” he said.
Mr. Hooda said the generation that did not have to struggle for freedom, which did not see the era of slavery and which was born in a free India, should never forget the freedom struggle and the sacrifices made by freedom fighters. “People of this generation should read, understand and know more about our freedom fighters so that they too are inspired by the patriotism, tenacity and sacrifice of our freedom fighters,” he said.
