Hardeep Puri Scorches Rahul Gandhi As Amar Jawan Jyoti Merged With War Memorial Flame

Jan 21,2022

Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Amar Jawan Jyoti being merged with National War Memorial flame, Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday said that he has stopped taking the Wayanad MP seriously a long time ago. The Union Minister said that the mashaal (flame) is being merged with National War Memorial to honour all those who have laid down their lives.

"I have stopped taking Rahul Gandhi's comments seriously a long back. He is the same Rahul Gandhi who used to say 'Modiji where is vaccine for our kids'. He also used to say many other things. The mashaal is being merged to honour all those who have laid down their lives. Now, there is a war memorial which they (Congress) couldn't make in 70 years," Union Minister Hardeep Puri said.

Rahul Gandhi slams centre over merging of Amar Jawan Jyoti with NWM flame
The Gandhi scion on Friday slammed the central government over its decision to merge the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate in New Delhi with the flame at the National War Memorial.

Taing to the microblogging site, he said, "It is a matter of great sadness that the immortal flame that used to burn for our brave soldiers will be extinguished today. Some people cannot understand patriotism and sacrifice - never mind… We will once again light the Amar Jawan Jyoti for our soldiers."

READ | Congress leader asks why can't India have 2 eternal flames amid row over Amar Jawan Jyoti
The Amar Jawan Jyoti flame was merged with the flame at the National War Memorial. The ceremony was presided over by the Integrated Defence Staff chief Air Marshal Radha Krishna who merged the two flames.

The Indian Gate memorial was built by the British in memory of the British Indian Army troops who lost their lives between 1914-1921.

However, the Amar Jawan Jyoti was included in the memorial structure in the 1970s after India's victory over Pakistan in which 93,000 troops of the enemy country surrendered. After a long wait, the National War memorial was built in the India Gate complex by the BJP government and was inaugurated in 2019.