The historical place of Vidurashwatha, popularly known as ‘south India’s Jallianwala Bagh’, where 32 freedom fighters were killed in a firing by police in 1935, was the venue for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tiranga Yatra on Tuesday.
Union Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the Tiranga Yatra in front of the Veera Soudha, a memorial for the martyrs killed when the police opened 96 rounds of fire at a pro-Independence congregation.
Ms. Irani recalled the bravery of a pregnant woman who was among those killed. “I am inspired by the bravery, spirit and sacrifice of this woman, who attended the pro-Independence meeting without bothering about her own condition,” she said.
The plaque on the Veera Soudha says that Mahatma Gandhi had sent Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Acharya Kripalani to Vidurashwatha to console the people of the village after the tragic incident.
Meanwhile, a group of sericulture farmers from this sericulture-belt submitted a memorandum to Ms. Irani, who holds the Textiles portfolio, appealing to her to convince the Finance Ministry to increase import duty on silk from the present 10 per cent to 30 per cent.
