*“During British rule, it was said that the sun never set on the empire, but the people of India defeated British rule and established democracy” – Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij*

*“The Bharatiya Janata Party will give its all to protect democracy” – Anil Vij*

*“Congress has launched a jihad against the country’s constitutional institutions” – Vij*

*“Dictatorship runs in Congress's DNA, and DNA passes down generations” – Vij*

*“Congress is the originator of terrorism in the country” – Vij*

*“During BJP rule, terrorism in Kashmir has significantly declined” – Vij*

Chandigarh, 3 August – Haryana's Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij once again strongly criticized the Congress today, and and that “During the British rule, it was said the sun never set on the empire, but the people of this nation overthrew British rule and established democracy. The Bharatiya Janata Party will lay down its life to protect that democracy, Sh. Vij said.”

Sh. Vij was responding to questions asked by media personnel regarding Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, raising concerns about the functioning of the Election Commission.

*“Congress has launched a jihad against the country's constitutional institutions” – Vij*

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s statements, Sh. Vij said that “Rahul Gandhi has a habit of lying. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have created a strategy through which they have waged a jihad against the country's constitutional institutions. Now Rahul Gandhi talks about blowing up the Election Commission with an atom bomb, while earlier he was targeting the ED, CBI, and the judiciary. Constitutional institutions are the pillars of democracy, but the opposition (Congress) wants to bring dictatorship by destroying it because dictatorship is in Congress’s DNA, Sh. Vij said.”

*“Dictatorship is in Congress's DNA, and DNA passes down generations” – Vij*

Recalling history, Sh. Vij said that “Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency in 1975, which revealed the true face of Congress. At that time, fundamental rights of common citizens were suspended, censorship was imposed on the press and nearly 1.5 lakh opposition party members were jailed. This is the DNA of Congress. Since DNA passes through generations, dictatorship is embedded in their political nature, he added.”

*“Congress is the originator of terrorism in the country” – Vij*

He further stated that “Congress is the originator of terrorism in India. This party was responsible for the partition of the country on religious grounds. Even though Mahatma Gandhi had said partition would happen over his dead body, Congress still went ahead with it. Around 10 lakh people were killed and millions were displaced during partition. Since then, Pakistan has been hostile towards us.”

*“During BJP rule, terrorism in Kashmir has significantly declined” – Vij*

Again attacking Congress, Sh. Vij said that “Congress imposed Article 370 in Kashmir, which led to the rise of terrorism. In their 55 years of rule, Congress took no steps to eliminate terrorism. In contrast, the BJP government abrogated Article 370, and since then, there has been a significant decline in terrorist activities in Kashmir. Recently, under Operation Sindoor, terrorist bases in Pakistan were destroyed. Our aim is to dismantle such terror bases, while no previous government dared to do, he said.”

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*“A meeting of senior officers from various departments will soon be held at the Shaheed Smarak being built in Ambala to complete the remaining work” – Anil Vij*

*“Energy Minister Anil Vij praised the efforts of the artists working on the artwork of the Shaheed Smarak in Ambala and inspected the site”*

*“Sh. Vij paid tribute to the statue of freedom fighter Rao Tula Ram installed in the art gallery of the Shaheed Smarak”*

*“The minister inspected the gallery created with Sarkanda artwork and praised the artists wholeheartedly”*

Chandigarh, August 3 – Haryana’s Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Sh. Anil Vij today inspected the under-construction ‘Azadi ki Pehli Ladai ka Shaheed Smarak’ on GT Road in Ambala, dedicated to the country’s first freedom struggle of 1857, and wholeheartedly praised the efforts of the artists working on the artwork. On this occasion, he said that a meeting of senior officers will soon be held at the memorial site to complete the remaining work.

Sh. Vij said that the history of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the 1857 freedom struggle will come alive at the memorial. Paying homage to the statue of freedom fighter Rao Tula Ram installed at the memorial, he remembered his contributions. While inspecting the various art galleries of the memorial, Minister Anil Vij took detailed information about the historical displays and issued necessary instructions after reviewing the progress of both civil and art-related works. He said a hydraulic lift capable of carrying 40 people to the upper floors has been installed in the virtual theatre of the art museum, the first of its kind in India.

*Sh. Vij appreciated the Sarkanda artwork*

Sh. Vij viewed the gallery prepared using Sarkanda artwork in the museum and immediately praised the artists’ work wholeheartedly. The use of Sarkanda art to depict history offers a unique experience for viewers. He mentioned that other galleries are being prepared in a similar fashion and will be completed soon. He also directed the artisans to finish the construction work at the earliest.

*“Meeting of senior department officers will be held at the memorial soon” – Vij*

On this occasion, the Energy Minister also said that a meeting of senior officers related to the memorial will be held soon at the site to ensure the remaining works are completed in a coordinated manner. He informed that a 270-degree projector film will be shown in the memorial, which visitors will enjoy as they move to the second floor. Additionally, ramps and stairs have been arranged so that people can conveniently experience the grandeur of the memorial. Two high-speed lifts have been installed to reach the lotus-shaped platform, allowing visitors to reach the 12th floor within minutes.

*Minister Vij instructed to open a Sky Café on the 12th floor of the memorial tower*

He instructed officers to open a Sky Café on the 12th floor of the memorial tower so that visitors can sit and view the entire Ambala cantonment and surrounding areas. He also suggested installing binoculars to enable distant viewing. Sh. Vij said that five domes have been constructed at different points of the martyrdom memorial, which will serve as selfie points.

On this occasion, Sh. Vij seen the presentation of historical and artistic elements of the memorial through a video. He instructed the officers to add more elements to the history. He emphasized that details of all locations where struggles for independence took place should be included and that two boards displaying the names of historians and other contributors involved in the creation of this memorial should be installed. Sh. Vij also gave instructions to level the area in front of the memorial, install railings, add more lighting at various points, plant attractive greenery in vacant areas, and carry out other necessary improvements. He stated that he wants the map of India as it was in 1857 to be prepared and displayed, so future generations can see what the country looked like at that time.

Present on this occasion were Dr. Kuldeep Saini, Director of the Shaheed Smarak; Harpal Singh, Superintendent Engineer of the Public Works Department; Ritesh Aggarwal, Executive Engineer; Swarn Kaur, Municipal Council President; Lalta Prasad, Vice President; Ram Babu Yadav, Sanjeev Atri, Sanjeev Soni, Pravesh Sharma, Balit Nagpal, Jasbir Jassi, Gaurav Saini, Ashok Thakur and others.