NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mentioned the upcoming anniversary, on September 28, of the Indian Army’s surgical strikes of 2016 against terror camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the Uri terror attack on an Army camp a few days before that.
The Prime Minister, in his monthly Mann ki Baat address, announced that the Chandigarh airport would be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh, who was hanged by the British.
“By the way, my dear countrymen, all of you have another reason to celebrate the 28th of September. Do you know what it is? I will say only two words and I know your enthusiasm will increase fourfold. These two words are — Surgical Strike! Hasn’t the ‘Josh’ (enthusiasm) risen!!”
Modi said, “Let us take inspiration from our freedom fighters, following their ideals and build the India of their dreams… this is our tribute to them. The memorials of martyrs, the names of places and institutions named after them inspire us with a sense of duty. Just a few days ago, the country has made a similar effort by setting up the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Kartavya Path and now the name of Chandigarh airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh is another step in that direction.”
Also invoking the memory of RSS ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay, Modi said noted that Sunday Sunday was the birth anniversary of a “brilliant humanist, thinker and great son of the country.”
Speaking about the recent re-location of cheetahs from Nambia to India, Modi said, “The topic that grabbed our attention in the last few days is the cheetah. … people from all corners of the country have expressed happiness over the return of cheetahs to India. 130 crore Indians are happy, full of pride; this is India's love for nature.” He said a task force will monitor how the cheetahs have adapted to the environment here. “On this basis, a decision will be taken after a few months and then you will be able to see the cheetahs.”
He said a competition would be organised on the MyGov platform. “What should be the name of the campaign that we are running on cheetahs? Can we even think of naming all these cheetahs…. by what name should each of them be called?” Suggesting traditional names would be “very nice” as “anything related to our society and culture, tradition and heritage, draws us easily,” Modi added: “Who knows…you may be the first to get an opportunity to see a cheetah as a reward!”
