REACHING OUT: Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda bids farewell to a freedom fighter after addressing a meeting in Vijayawada on Saturday. — PHOTO: RAJU V.

VIJAYAWADA : Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has called upon all State Governments to increase the monthly pensions of freedom fighters by following the example set by his own Government.

He said here on Saturday that his Government had increased the monthly pension of freedom fighters from Rs.1,400 to Rs.6,000 and it was time all other Governments too followed suit to honour those who fought for the country.

He was addressing the 13th all India conference of freedom fighters and 14th all India conference of the successors of freedom fighters, which was organised by the All India Freedom Fighters Organisation and All India Freedom Fighters' Successors Organisation, at Syed Appalaswamy Degree College.

Mr. Hooda, who is the president of the freedom fighters' successors' organisation, observed that the freedom fighters had transcended all barriers to put up a united fight for the country's liberation from the clutches of the British.

But divisive tendencies of caste and creed were finding place in contemporary society, which would not be in the interest of the country's unity, which the freedom fighters had dreamt.

Basic necessities

The Chief Minister felt only by ensuring the basic necessities of people such as food and shelter that the right kind of tribute could be paid to the freedom fighters.

Mr. Hooda complimented Jai Prakash, son of freedom fighter Rampilla Suryanarayana, for organising the conference. He said the late Suryanarayana and his brother Appalaswamy had stood for communal amity, as the latter assumed the title Syed to drive home the point about secularism.

Mr. Hooda earlier laid a foundation stone for Sardar Rampilla Suryanarayana and Narasayamma mini auditorium and also unveiled the bronze statues of Syed Appalaswamy and Suryanarayana, on the college premises.

Local MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, quoting Mahatma Gandhi, said true freedom would come only when people got all the authority to resist abuse of power.

Mayor Mallika Begum observed that the city was privileged to host so many freedom fighters who came from different parts of the country.

She recited the famous song `Yeh Mere Watan ke logon' and drew applause.

Resolutions passed

The conference passed several resolutions, including one calling upon the Centre to clear the pending list of pensions to freedom fighters. It also called upon all State Governments, especially of Jammu & Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh, to increase the amount of monthly pension given to freedom fighters to Rs.6,000 a month on a par with what the Haryana Government was giving.

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