BJP President J P Nadda on Thursday accused the previous Congress regimes of trying to ensure that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and V D Savarkar were forgotten by the masses, while asserting that the Modi Government will “never let that happen”. Addressing an election rally here, Nadda, in his first visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands since becoming the BJP President, said that the archipelago will witness a “sea change” in the next few years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

“Attempts were made by the Congress to ensure that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Veer (Vinayak Damodar) Savarkar were forgotten, but the Narendra Modi Government will never let that happen. Initiatives taken by the PM are symbols of India’s indebtedness towards our freedom fighters,” he said. “We have taken several initiatives such as installing a statue of Netaji on Kartavya Path in New Delhi and the proposed memorial in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to honour his legacy. I also commend PM Modi’s vision of naming 21 islands after Param Veer Chakra awardees,” he said. Nearly Rs 700 crore has been allotted to the new terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, Nadda said.

 

“Under the previous Congress Governments, people of the archipelago were deprived of such projects. So, please become a part of India’s development by helping the BJP win this important Lok Sabha seat,” he said. The BJP has fielded Bishnu Pada Ray against sitting Congress MP Kuldeep Rai Sharma in the lone Lok Sabha seat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, voting for which will be held on April 19. Attacking the INDIA bloc by calling it a “ghamandiya” (arrogant) alliance, Nadda said most of its leaders were “either in jail or on bail”.