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Parliament pays tribute to martyrs

     New Delhi: India's Parliament today paid tribute to three of its freedom movement martyrs - Bhagat Singh, Shivram Rajguru and Sukhdev, who embraced gallows during India's freedom struggle on this day in 1931. "The nation can never forget them," said Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and added that their sacrifice had made all Indians proud. "We pledge ourselves to uphold the cherished values for which they laid down their lives," he further said. The House observed a minute's silence to pay respect to the freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives in the service of the motherland with smile on their face. India's freedom struggle saw two means of achieving the end of independence. Bhagat Singh and his friends represented the violent revolutionists who tried to strike the British rule hard with terror.

     During the Simon Commission, Sher-e-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai was wounded and died later. To avenge his death, Bhagat Singh and Rajguru killed Saunders (one of the deputy officers in connection with the Simon Commission). When the British government promulgated the two bills "Trade Union Dispute Bill" and "Public Safety Bill" which Bhagat Singh and his party thought were Black Laws aimed at curbing citizens' freedom and civil liberties, they decided to oppose these bills by throwing a bomb in the Central Assembly Hall (which is now Lok Sabha). However, things changed, and the Britishers arrested Bhagat Singh and his friends on April 8, 1929. He and his friends wanted to be shot dead, since they were termed as prisoners of war. Their request was not fulfilled, and Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were tried, and hanged in Lahore Central Jail on 23 March 1931 at about 7.30 in the evening. Their corpses were not handed over to their relatives but were cremated by the police at the dead of night on the banks of the river Satlej, near Ferozepur. Justly remembered as 'Shahid-I-azam' by his grateful countrymen for making the supreme sacrifice, Bhagat Singh infused life into the youth and became their hero. It "has increased our power for winning freedom for which Bhagat Singh and his comrades have died", said Mahatma Gandhi. "Their magnificent courage and sacrifice has been an inspiration to the youth of India", said Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then President of the Indian National Congress, in his tribute at that time. They died so that India may live.

Emotional welcome to Indian nationals at Wagah border (Go To Top)
by Ravinder Singh Robin

     Amritsar: Punjab Chief Minister Captain (retired) Amarinder Singh and relatives emotionally greeted the 564 Indian prisoners released by the Pakistan government at Wagah border late on Tuesday amidst tight security. It was truly an emotional moment for most as tears rolled profusely down cheeks and voices were choked as their kith and kin warmly hugged the released detainees. Radiance was writ large on the faces of relatives and their expressions of joy unbounded after experiencing years of uncertainty and dejection. The released Punjabi youths and their relatives raised slogans in support of Captain Amarinder Singh for his concerted efforts in securing their release from Pakistan. It was Captain Singh who took the initiative of approaching the Pakistani leadership to seek the release of the Indian detainees, most of them fishermen. He petitioned Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf during his recent visit to Pakistan on the issue. As goodwill gesture, the Pakistani Government immediately announced the release of the Indian prisoners. Subsequently, Singh brought 21 Indian civil prisoners along with him from Lahore on March 17 as a gift of 'mutual trust, friendship and harmony' by his counterpart in Pakistan, the Chief Minister of West Punjab, Chaudhary Pervez Elahi. On March 18, the Ministry of External Affairs communicated to the Government of Punjab about the release of these prisoners and directed them to make elaborate arrangements in advance for their repatriation.

   Empowered Committee on VAT to meet tomorrow (Go To Top)

    New Delhi: With the main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party, consistently opposing the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) regime, the Empowered Committee on VAT has called a meeting of state finance ministers on Thursday to work out a mechanism to bring Uttar Pradesh and BJP-ruled states under the new tax regime from April 1. Finance Minister P Chidambaram will also attend the meeting. He has already promised full compensation for revenue loss for the first year of VAT implementation. Earlier, traders from BJP-ruled states met BJP President Lal Krishna Advani here and extended their support to him over stalling the VAT implementation. Advani told the traders that the party's decision against VAT came after a thorough examination of the pros and cons of the new tax system.

      "After examining all aspects of the question they ( the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states) decided that VAT would not be implemented," Advani said. Last week, BJP-ruled states decided not to implement the VAT from April 1, after a gruelling meeting of the state chiefs on the issue. The Congress Party-led central government planned to implement the uniform VAT rates across the country from the start of the new fiscal year as part of a major overhaul of the tax system. The Finance Minister has so far maintained that VAT will be implemented as scheduled from April 1, even if some states don't opt for it. The VAT panel had made some changes in the proposed tax regime under pressure from traders lobby. Most of the states are ready with their VAT legislations but the BJP-ruled states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh have said that they won't implement VAT unless traders agree to it and the Centre announces a clear roadmap regarding the abolition of the Central Sales Tax. At present, the stand of Bihar and Goa, which are under President's rule is not clear whether they will join or not. Meanwhile, traders took to streets in the national capital, to protest against VAT and raised slogans and showed placards against the new tax regime.

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