Gurugram (Haryana) [India], August 14 : BJP President Nitin Nabin paid tribute to those who lost their lives and homes during the Partition in 1947 and said the pain of the events of that time "lingers in our hearts".
Addressing a programme organised on the occasion of 'Partition Horrors Remembrance Day' in Gurugram, Nabin, while reflecting on the tragedy, stated that the day is a solemn occasion to remember those who lost their lives in violence and millions who were displaced.
"Today is a day to remember the memories of those people who made sacrifices, who were displaced in the horrors of Partition. I bow to all those families today who lost their loved ones, who endured the pain of displacement, and offer my respectful tributes," Nabin said.
"To those families who endured this pain, who witnessed this horror, if we even slightly recall their memories, I believe that such a difficult moment in life may not have come in the life of perhaps anyone among us."
He said many families affected by Partition came to India and have contributed to the country's development.
The BJP chief remarked that the seeds of division were sown earlier and referred to the Lahore Resolution of 1940.
"When the Lahore Resolution in 1940 discussed the two-nation theory, at that very time, even before independence, our people had an inkling that when freedom comes to the country, the price of that freedom would have to be paid in the form of partition... Those who had eyed power for themselves, those who had golden dreams for themselves, they got power, but those who had dreamed of freedom had to play Holi with blood; they had to lose their loved ones," he said.
"This pain lingers somewhere in all our hearts today. Those who hastened this transfer of power, thinking they saw their future in this partition, played with the futures of millions of Indians while securing their own," he added.
The Partition Horrors Remembrance Day is observed on August 14 to remember the victims. It reminds the present generation of Indians of the pain and suffering faced by the people during the partition.