Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon the youth to imbibe the spirit of sacrifice and unwavering commitment from our freedom fighters and strive for building a new India, where there is no discrimination of any kind.
The Vice-President, who is on a three-day tour of the city, visited the birthplace of revolutionary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju at Pandrangi on Tuesday.
Calling it a memorable day in his life, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said he was an ardent follower of Alluri Sitarama Raju from his student days. Lauding the sacrifices of the freedom fighter, he said that his conviction, commitment and selfless dedication and sincerity were unshakeable as he mobilised the tribal people to fight against the injustices of the British.
He garlanded the statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju and met his family members, and interacted with residents of Pandrangi.
Later, in a Facebook post, Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said, “ As India celebrates ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, we must recollect the innumerable sacrifices of our freedom fighters and draw inspiration from their patriotic zeal. Those heroes fought not merely for an abstract geographical entity but to free millions of people from an oppressive and unjust British rule.”
“One must never compromise on the core values, whatever be the exigency,” Mr. Venkaiah Naidu said.
Later, the Vice-President visited Ramalayam Barlapeta village, where he unveiled the statues of freedom fighters Rupakula Subrahmanyam and Rupakula Visalakshi. Interacting with the villagers, he lauded the efforts of the couple in providing entry to the Harijans into the temples and for participating in the Quit India and Salt Satyagraha movements.
Mizoram Governor K. Haribabu, who was also present, paid tributes to the freedom fighters.