'Internal Divisions Made India Slave': Yogi Warns Of Forces Trying To Divide India Over Caste, Region & Language

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that India became enslaved due to internal divisions and conspiracies. He stated, “Forces seeking to weaken India in the name of region, caste and language are still attempting to create divisions today. Social media platforms have become a medium of conspiracy. Anti-national forces are misusing them to spread rumours against India. Efforts are being made to mislead society through conspiracies."

CM Yogi was addressing the Centenary Celebration Programme organised at the Kakori Martyrs Memorial on the occasion of the completion of 101 years of the Kakori Train Action on Sunday.

Paying tribute to the national heroes, the Chief Minister said, "Today marks the 101st anniversary of the Kakori Train Action. The great sons of Bharat Mata shook the foundations of British rule and challenged it by declaring that the land of India would never tolerate slavery. These revolutionaries built a long chain of struggle from the First War of Independence in 1857 to the ‘Quit India Movement’ of 1942."

He noted that the British intended to loot the hard-earned wealth of the people of India and take it to Britain, but at this very place, on 9 August 1925, revolutionaries such as Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Ashfaqulla Khan, Chandrashekhar Azad and Rajendra Nath Lahiri seized the treasury and gave new momentum to the freedom struggle.

The Chief Minister referred to revolutionaries Sachindra Nath Bakshi and Manmath Nath Gupta. He said that both were born in Kashi and were sentenced to life imprisonment. The British confiscated their estates. He further noted that Sachindra Nath Sanyal was also born in Kashi and breathed his last in Gorakhpur.

He observed that Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Rajendra Nath Lahiri, Ashfaqulla Khan and Thakur Roshan Singh were executed, while Chandrashekhar Azad had declared that "Azad will always remain free," and he attained martyrdom on the soil of Prayagraj while fighting the British till his last breath.

CM Yogi stated, "The objective of these revolutionaries was not only the freedom of Bharat Mata but also to break the chains of slavery, drive the British out of India and secure the country's independence."

The Chief Minister also expressed anguish from the stage. He said, "The British called the Kakori incident a robbery, but even after Independence, those who came to power also insulted the revolutionaries associated with this event by continuing to refer to it as the Kakori Dacoity Case."

He further remarked, “These people underestimated both the Kakori Train Action and the Chauri Chaura incident. When the Chauri Chaura incident occurred in Gorakhpur in 1922, the Congress suspended the movement and distanced itself from it. Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya fought the legal case on behalf of the revolutionaries involved in the Chauri Chaura incident."

CM Yogi said, “Many revolutionaries were sentenced to life imprisonment. Great revolutionaries Sachindra Nath Bakshi and Manmath Nath Gupta did not receive the respect they deserved after Independence. The sin of securing their punishment was committed by the Congress leaders of that period who practiced law."

He added, "Those who kept the common people away from their heroes and revolutionaries committed an injustice against India's younger generation. Denying young people the opportunity to take pride in their heroes is equivalent to depriving them of ideals, inspiration and a sense of glory."

He asserted, “Those who held power after Independence committed the sin of insulting revolutionaries. No memorials were built in the names of the Kakori martyrs, Chandrashekhar Azad, Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Rani Lakshmibai, Veerangana Uda Devi Pasi, Avanti Bai and Jhalkari Bai. Institutions were not named after them so that people would not even know their names. Conspiracies continued after Independence for this very purpose.”

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said that after assuming office in 2014, he accorded due respect to the heroes of India's freedom struggle.

He stated, "The Panch Teerth associated with Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, memorials related to Veer Savarkar, Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh and Ashfaqulla Khan were expanded. By naming the Kakori incident as the Kakori Train Action, respect was restored to the revolutionaries."

He added, “Postage stamps are now being issued in the names of these revolutionaries and institutions are being named after them. Otherwise, after Independence, all schemes used to be named after a single family/dynasty.”

The Chief Minister urged the public, saying, "We must all search for our revolutionaries. There must be many unsung heroes in our villages, regions and districts who dedicated everything for the freedom of the nation with the emotion, ‘Tera Vaibhav Amar Rahe Maa, Hum Din Chaar Rahen Na Rahen.’"

He remarked, “After Independence, power-hungry people focused on their own glory. The revolutionaries were forgotten and denied a place in academic curricula. Numerous conspiracies were hatched against the nation and society, and attempts to divide the country have once again begun."

The Chief Minister appealed to the public to collect scattered materials related to revolutionaries and freedom fighters. He urged people to participate in the repair and beautification of memorials associated with them and to express respect by offering floral tributes.

The Chief Minister said, “For the revolutionaries, the struggle for India's freedom was above everything else. To keep their memory alive, the Centenary Festival was organized in Kakori. Numerous programmes have been held over the past year in memory of the revolutionaries."

He noted that the current generations of families associated with the Kakori Train Action, as well as the family members of brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation's security, have also been honoured.

The Chief Minister appealed, "The vision of a developed and self-reliant India will be realised only when the spirit of 'Nation First' resides in every heart. People should be made aware of the importance of their motherland, language and indigenous products. August 15 is Independence Day. Every household should hoist the Tricolour, and every institution should sing Vande Mataram."

Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, Culture and Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh, Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, Rajya Sabha MP Braj Lal, MLAs Neeraj Bora, O.P. Srivastava, Jai Devi, Yogesh Shukla, Legislative Council Member Ramchandra Pradhan, Lalji Prasad Nirmal, and others were present on the occasion.

Published on: Monday, August 10, 2026, 04:53 PM IST