South Haryana leaders demand recognition for freedom fighters

Amid the ongoing controversy over the naming of a medical college in Narnaul, South Haryana leaders have stepped up demands for giving due recognition to local freedom fighters. Days after the village panchayat accused the state government of “duping” them by naming the new medical college after Maharishi Chyawan instead of the promised Rao Tula Ram, Gurugram MP and Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh reportedly met the Chief Minister to press the issue.

While Singh remained unavailable for comment, sources said he raised concerns not only about the college nomenclature but also about several pending projects meant to honour the contributions of the Ahir community to India’s freedom struggle.

“The MP has highlighted a few pending projects to be named after Rao Tula Ram and other freedom fighters. Work is on, and even the Naseebpur memorial will start soon,” said a senior official from the Chief Minister’s Office on condition of anonymity. It is pertinent to note that Narnaul MLA Om Prakash had earlier highlighted in the Vidhan Sabha how the long-promised war memorial at Naseebpur — a key site in the 1857 rebellion — remains a non-starter despite repeated assurances.

“Ahirs and local leaders had the biggest contribution to the freedom struggle starting from 1857. However, today, the majority of children in Haryana have no clue who Rao Tula Ram was because successive governments have failed to celebrate our legacy. Not even 1% of our generation knows about Naseebpur. Our lores are dying, and there is no effort to conserve our history or struggle. We have supported the government for 15 years and our history of valour needs to be told. Many projects were announced to be named after Ahir leaders like Tula Ram, but nothing took off,” said Ram Avtar Patauda of the Yadav Maha Sabha.

A local Ahir MLA, requesting anonymity, expressed his discontent, saying: “They are celebrating GT Road only. Naseebpur hasn’t even started while Ambala’s memorial is almost complete. Our regional heroes like Rao Tula Ram, Raja Nahar Singh, and Hasan Khan Mewati are vanishing from the state’s history because no efforts are being made to keep their contributions alive. Even today, South Haryana has the maximum contribution to the armed forces. We need to name projects after them, include their life stories in the curriculum, and showcase the region’s legacy. We have discussed the issue with the CM who has promised fast action,” he added.

Opposition leader and Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed also slammed the government’s approach. Talking to The Tribune, he said: “They are not only shelving projects dedicated to local leaders but have also ruined Congress’s efforts. Congress built the Hasan Khan Mewati Hospital, and look at its current state. For 10 years, they have promised to include our heroes in the syllabus, but nothing has been done. The Nayab Saini government gives two hoots about the culture, history, and contributions of South Haryana and focuses only on GT Road,” said Ahmed.

Haryana Tribune