Both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday paid homage to the martyrs of the freedom struggle and resolved to create an inclusive and prosperous India of the dreams of freedom fighters by 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for special initiatives to end all ills plaguing the country in the next five years with the pledge of karenge aur kar ke rahenge (will do and ensure that it is done).
Mentioning that the menace of corruption has adversely impacted India's development journey and has eaten the polity from the inside, he called for a common resolve to overcome the challenge.
After a special discussion to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan read out the resolution: "Today, in the 75th year of the Quit India movement, we pledge to form a powerful, prosperous, clean and glorious India which is corruption-free, has good administration, is advanced in science and technology and committed to everyone's development".
After her remarks, in which she referred to many unknown and unsung heroes of the freedom struggle, PM Modi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and leaders of other parties participated in the discussion.
Both Modi and Sonia listed out the threats and challenges faced by the nation. In his 30-minute speech, the PM named several freedom fighters, but did not mention Jawaharlal Nehru for his role in the freedom struggle.
Terming corruption, poverty and illiteracy the greatest challenges, the PM called for special initiatives to end all such ills in the next five years.
He said from 2017 to 2022, when India turns 75, there is a need to create the same spirit that existed between 1942 and 1947. "In 1942, the clarion call was karenge ya marenge (Do or Die). Today, it is karenge aur kar Ke rahenge (will do and ensure it is done). These five years are about sankalp se siddhi (commitment to fulfillment)," he said.
He also referred to the enactment of the GST Act, saying all political parties and state governments had extended support to the legislation, and a similar approach would be adopted by all concerned to resolve the problems of the country.
Sonia pointed out that the Quit India movement resolution was proposed by Nehru and seconded by Sardar Patel and adopted in a session of the All India Congress Committee in Mumbai on August 9.
In a veiled attack on the RSS, Sonia said some organisations had opposed the Quit India movement and played no role in the freedom movement. She mentioned that Nehru was in jail for the longest period and attacked the ruling BJP over "communalism", prompting reactions from BJP's Chandigarh MP Kiran Kher.
But the Speaker didn't allow anyone from the BJP to speak or to take on Sonia. She allowed only one leader from each party and the PM had already spoken on behalf of the BJP.
In her 9-minute speech, Sonia alleged that secular, democratic and liberal values were being endangered, and public space for debate and difference of opinion was shrinking.
"If we want to safeguard our freedom, we shall have to struggle against every oppressive force, no matter how powerful and capable it may be," she said, declaring that "we have to fight for that Bharat which we love and trust and in which every person is free and his or her freedom is beyond any questions."
She said her party will not allow the idea of India to be a prisoner to narrow mindedness and communal ideology. "Today it looks secularism and free speech are in danger as clouds of hatred and divisiveness are hovering," she added.
In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Hamid Ansari, Leader of House Arun Jaitley, Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and leaders of other parties took part in a similar discussion.
Ansari led the House to take a pledge on building an inclusive, self-reliant, tolerant, secular and democratic India by adopting a resolution unanimously.
The House was, however, repeatedly adjourned after the Congress members' ruckus over Kapil Sibal reiterating the issue of differences in sizes and designs of the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes, ultimately leading to its adjournment for the day.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned 1.30 for the day in the memory of BJP's Ajmer MP Prof Sanwar Lal Jat (62) who passed away at AIIMS here in the morning.
Mahajan did not adjourn the House, as it is conventionally done in case a sitting member passes way, in the morning. She told the House that she took a conscious decision considering the nation's interest in the Quit India movement.
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