Holding of party event at Yadgar hall draws flak

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall Committee (DBYC) members are reportedly going to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow over allowing BJP’s state-level function on the premises of Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall in which Ashwini Sharma took charge as the state president today. In the meeting, every speaker spoke in favour of the CAA and the NRC.

Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall is an iconic centre for communists and socialists and it is the only dedicated place in the memory of the great Ghadarites, who fought against external forces and continued to fight against governments too after Independence. Most of the protests against communal forces originate from the hall.

But, the permission given to the BJP to hold the function did not go well with scholars as they had also expressed disapproval.

Dr Chaman Lal, a retired professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University and an authority on Bhagat Singh’s writings, said: “There must be some criteria and any activity that takes place in the hall should not go against the spirit of the memorial. Renting this place for such purpose and for parties that are anti-people in the eyes of yadgar committee is not right. There must be a proper frame of rules.”

“It is unimaginable to learn that the management of the Ghadar memorial in Jalandhar allowed to rent out their venue for holding events of political enemies of the Ghadar heritage such as the RSS and the BJP. The only way to rectify the fault is the president and general secretary of the DBYC should resign straight away,” Amarjit Chandan, a London-based writer said.

Even the members of the committee showed their disagreement, however not vocally. One of the members of the committee said: “The function that held today would convey a bad message to society and it is not acceptable.” Another member said looking at the present situation in the country, the permission should not had been given at all. “It was not correct at this point, when protests against the CAA and the NRC are held across the nation,” he said. Nephew of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Prof Jagmohan Singh said the yadgar hall should make clear its terms and conditions. They must make everyone sign their terms and conditions,” he said.