Rajasthan witnessed a rare political moment on Tuesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared the stage with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, exchanging experiences and recalling the century-old Mangarh massacre. The Prime Minister designated the Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan as a national monument, where British forces massacred over 1,500 Bhil people on November 17, 1913.
As the Rajasthan chief minister drew parallels between the Mangarh incident and the Jallianwala Bagh incident in Punjab, both of which were considered a blot on colonial rule, PM Modi said:”Unfortunately, the struggle of the Tribal community was not recognised post-independence. India’s past, present and future would not be complete without tribal society. Every page of our freedom struggle, the pages of history are full of tribal valor. Mangarh Dham is symbol of tenacity, sacrifice of tribals, we are indebted to sacrifices made by them.”
He added that the Mangarh memorial is a heritage for Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra as well.
The prime minister also mentioned working with the veteran Congress leader. “Ashok ji (Gehlot) and I served as chief ministers together. He was the senior member of our group. “He is still one of the most senior chief ministers among those on the stage right now,” PM Modi said during the event. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was among the other leaders on stage.
Earlier, in his address, Gehlot had said: “…When PM Modi goes abroad, he receives great honour. Because he’s PM of the nation of Gandhi, where democracy is deep-rooted. When world realises this, they feel proud that PM of that country is coming to them…”