Modi government conspiracy to sell Red Fort: Congress
The demonstration was organised by the Chandni Chowk District Congress Committee under the leadership of Mohd Usman.
New Delhi: The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, under the leadership of its president Ajay Maken, held a demonstration in front of the Red Fort to protest against the Modi government’s “conspiracy to sell” the historic heritage monument to a private party for its maintenance.
Mr Maken said all the assembled Congress workers contributed Rs 5 each as a symbolic protest into a box kept at the venue and the money thus collected will be sent to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. He said if the need be, the Congress workers of Delhi will contribute Rs 5 crore every year which will be sent to the PM —the money he needs for the maintenance of the Red Fort every year, but his party will not allow the Red Fort to be sold to anybody. The demonstration was organised by the Chandni Chowk District Congress Committee under the leadership of Mohd Usman.
At the suggestion of Mr Maken, former Delhi minister Haroon Yusuf made the first contribution of Rs 5 to the donation box. DPCC chief spokesperson Sharm-istha Mukherjee, who is also the president of the Delhi Pradesh Mahila Congress, was also present at the spot. ex-MLAs Prahlad Singh Sahni and Kanwar Karan Singh, Municipal Councillors Aalley Mohammed, Prerna Singh and Sultanabad.
Addressing the demonstrators, Mr Maken exhorted the Congress workers to keep the fight on to protect the historic Red Fort from being sold to the Dalmia group. He said it was indeed very shameful that the Modi government, which could spend Rs 3,000 crore for self publicity, cannot find Rs 5 crore for the maintenance of the heritage monument like Red Fort, which is part of the great cultural history of the country.
Mr Maken said the Red Fort is not only a cultural heritage but also a symbolic sign of the country which has been printed on the Indian currency. He said it was the same Lal Quila from where Bahadur Shah Zaffar, Rani Laxmibhai and Tantya Tope mounted the fight against the British in 1987 for independence. He said the Red Fort is such a symbolic sign that the people of India sacrificed their lives to capture it from the British and mount the Indian national flag.
Mr Maken said when the British captured the Red Fort on 20 September, 1857, the Congress workers unleashed a relentless fight lasting 90 years to free India from the British rule, and flew the Indian national flag atop Lal Quila after gaining Independence. He said it was the same Lal Quila where court hearings used to be held against the revolutionaries of the country, and they were branded anti-nationals in the prouncements.
Mr Maken said after Independence, the first Prime Minister of the Country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, mounted the Indian national flag atop it and addressed lakhs of people of the country from there. He said on 15th August every year, the Prime Minister of the country—who may be from any political party—addresses the people of India from the Red Fort as Lal Quila is a symbol of great heritage and culture of the country.
Mr Maken said there cannot be a more bankrupt situation than a conspiracy to mortgage, lease or sell the Red Fort or signing an MoU for lack of funds for its maintenance. He said the Congress party will not tolerate such anti-national decision by the Modi government and the manner in which it fought to drive out the British from the country, it will use all its might to thwart any move to hand over the Red Fort to the Dalmia group.