Leaders from both the BJP and the Congress on Monday paid tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary, remembering his courage, patriotism and sacrifice for India's freedom.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath wrote on X: "On the birth anniversary of the immortal revolutionary Bhagat Singh, who dedicated his all to making the freedom of the country the sole aim of his life; humble tribute. May his courage, sacrifice, and martyrdom for safeguarding the nation's pride and honour remain an eternal source of inspiration for all of us."
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said: "Honouring the great revolutionary Shaheed Bhagat Singh, whose courage, patriotism, and supreme sacrifice became a powerful symbol of India's struggle for freedom, on his Birth Anniversary."
Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said: "Remembering Shaheed Bhagat Singh ji on his birth anniversary. His indomitable courage, unwavering patriotism and supreme sacrifice for the nation remain an eternal source of inspiration for every Indian. His spirit of courage and sacrifice continues to ignite the flame of patriotism in generations to come."
Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy said: "Remembering Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh on his Jayanti. His extraordinary courage, supreme sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom continue to inspire generations. His revolutionary ideas, intellectual conviction, and spirit of resistance remain a lasting source of inspiration for the youth of India. My humble tributes to this great revolutionary and freedom fighter."
Congress Leaders Highlight His Ideas
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said: "On the birth anniversary of the great revolutionary Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Ji, we pay our humble respects to him. His struggle for India's independence, indomitable courage, and supreme sacrifice will forever remain a source of inspiration for all of us."
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge shared Hindi lines: "Likh raha hun mai anjaam jiska...kal aagaaj aayega... Mere lahu ka har ek katra...inkalab layega."
He added: "On the birth anniversary of the great revolutionary who sacrificed everything for the freedom of the nation, Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh ji, I pay my respectful homage to him. Bhagat Singh did not merely fight against the British regime; he also raised his voice against social inequality and the forces that divide society through his pen and ideas. His courage, ideological steadfastness, and dream of a just society continue to inspire millions of youth even today."
Who Was Bhagat Singh?
Bhagat Singh was born on September 28, 1907, in Banga village of Lyallpur district, now Faisalabad district in Pakistan. This year marks his 119th birth anniversary.
In 1923, he joined the Hindustan Republican Association in Kanpur, which was renamed the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association in 1928.
Bhagat Singh held police officers responsible for the death of Lala Lajpat Rai, who died after leading a demonstration against the Simon Commission in Lahore, and set out to avenge it. This led to the killing of police official John Saunders.
The Assembly Bombs and the Trial
In April 1929, Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt set off two low-intensity homemade bombs among unoccupied benches of the Central Legislative Assembly in Delhi. They showered leaflets from the gallery, shouted slogans and allowed themselves to be arrested.
While awaiting trial, he joined fellow defendant Jatin Das in a hunger strike demanding better prison conditions for Indian prisoners. The strike ended with Das's death from starvation in September 1929.
On March 23, 1931, Bhagat Singh was executed by the British government. He was just 23.
Why It Matters: The Thinker Behind the Revolutionary
Kharge's reference to Bhagat Singh's "pen and ideas" and Kishan Reddy's mention of his "intellectual conviction" point to a side of his legacy that often gets less attention than his martyrdom.
He read and wrote extensively during his two years in Lahore jail. His essay Why I Am an Atheist, which historian S. Irfan Habib describes as a strong defence of reason against blind faith, was written during this period. Habib notes that Bhagat Singh matured as a political thinker in prison, and his prison diary shows how his political ideas evolved.
That is why his legacy is claimed across the political spectrum: for some he is the symbol of supreme sacrifice, for others a thinker who questioned inequality and division. Monday's tributes reflected both.
Nearly a century after his execution, Bhagat Singh remains one of the few figures who draws tributes from leaders across party lines. His life was short, but the courage and ideas he left behind continue to shape how India remembers its freedom struggle.
With inputs from IANS.
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