The BJP on Saturday, September 9, launched a ward-level campaign of ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ which envisages paying tributes to the martyrs who died in the line of duty and cherishing the country’s heritage.
The tagline translates to ‘My Soil My Country’ and the programme is part of Azadi Ka Amruth Mahotsav and is an effort to infuse patriotism among citizens and celebrate the country’s heritage.
The campaign was launched by T.S. Srivatsa, Krishnaraja MLA, who said that the party workers will fan out across all the 65 wards of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and identify those soldiers, police and others who had died in the line of duty. A handful of soil will be collected with honour and respects and the entire collection will be sent to Bengaluru from where it will be further transported to Delhi. A martyrs memorial park will be established at Kartavya Path where soil collected from all over the country will be used and there will be name plaques of all such martyrs, said Mr. Srivatsa.
He said the campaign will not only create awareness of martyrs amidst us but instill a sense of duty and patriotism among the rest of the citizens. He said the concept of collecting the soil from individual residences of martyrs is similar to iron that was collected from all the villages for the construction of Statue of Unity – of Sardar Vallabhai Patel – in Gujarat.
Mr. Srivatsa said that booth-level workers in the MCC limits and in gram panchayats will have details of the martyrs if any in their respective areas and they should visit the homes of such martyrs and collect the details from the family members. The campaign of collecting the details at the booth levels will commence from September 11, said Mr. Srivatsa.
The MLA said the concept of ‘Meri Maati Mera Desh’ was an exercise to express one’s gratitude to the martyrs when the nation was celebrating 75 years of independence. This will also inspire future generation to protect the country’s independence and heritage, he added.
