RLD seeks Bharat Ratna for 1857 hero Mangal Pandey
Rashtriya Lok Dal
on Monday demanded that
Mangal Pandey
— the iconic figure of India's first War of Independence in 1857 — be conferred the Bharat Ratna.
RLD national secretary Anupam Mishra made the demand while speaking to reporters in Ballia on Monday.
He expressed disappointment that Pandey's role in India's freedom struggle has not received the recognition it rightfully deserves.
"It is unfortunate that the contribution of such a great revolutionary remains unrecognised. It would be an honour for the award itself to be associated with a patriot of his stature," Mishra stated.
Mishra, who arrived in Ballia on Sunday as part of the Amar Shaheed Samman Yatra, visited Pandey's ancestral village of Nagwa to pay homage.
He also proposed the construction of a tall statue of Mangal Pandey in Ballia, asserting that his legacy warrants a monumental tribute. "Pandey's courage and sacrifice surpass many other icons of the freedom movement. Installing a grand statue here in his birthplace would be a fitting tribute and a source of inspiration for generations to come," he said. TNN
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