NEW DELHI, 11 May 2007 — Paying tribute to the martyrs of the country’s first war of independence, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday said that events of 1857 stood as a great testimony to the traditions of Hindu-Muslim unity that held out as an example for subsequent generations.
“What is significant is that the rebellion was united. There was no division between Hindus and Muslims in their resistance to alien domination,” Manmohan Singh told Parliament.
“In every ‘ishtahar’ (advertisement) that the rebel leadership issued, Hindus and Muslims were called upon to rise together to fight against British rule and to remove it.”
The uprising, which helped pave the way for independence 90 years later of the “jewel” in Britain’s imperial crown, was a “tribute to traditions of Hindu-Muslim unity,” Manmohan said.
“In the fight for freedom, Hindus and Muslims stood together shoulder-to- shoulder,” Manmohan said. “We cannot forget the Hindu-Muslim unity that 1857 represented and held out as an example for subsequent generations.”
Recalling Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s writings on the uprising, he said the feeling of brotherhood among Hindus and Muslims was found not only in the army but also among the civil population.
“There is no record of a single incident of conflict or clash on a religious basis even though there are instances where British officers tried to weaken the Indian camp by stressing such differences. India faced the trial of 1857 as a united community.”
“I stand here... to pay homage to the martyrs of 1857. I urge the people of our great nation to ensure their sacrifices are not in vain,” he said.
Describing 1857 as a watershed in the country’s history, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said it was a resurgence of nationalism.
“It started as small streams of dissent against the tyranny of colonial rule. Foreign rulers did not understand these warning signals,” Kalam said.
