Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid homage to all those who lost their lives during Partition and applauded the "resilience as well as grit" of all those who suffered.
“Today, on Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, I pay homage to all those who lost their lives during Partition, and applaud the resilience as well as grit of all those who suffered during that tragic period of our history,” said Modi.
Meanwhile, targeting the Prime Minister, the Congress party said the tragedy of Partition was being used as fodder to fuel "hate and prejudice".
Last year, Mr. Modi had announced that August 14 would be observed as the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, which would keep reminding the countrymen of the need to "remove the poison of social divisions, disharmony and further strengthen the spirit of oneness, social harmony and human empowerment".
On Sunday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also took to Twitter to say: "The partition of the country in 1947 is that inhuman chapter of Indian history which can never be forgotten. The violence and hatred of Partition claimed millions of lives and displaced innumerable people."
BJP president J.P. Nadda, who participated in a silent procession in the evening to mark the occasion, tweeted: "I solemnly remember those who paid an unbearable price during Partition. We must never forget how politics of selfishness & personal interests led to Partition & pain."
Earlier, the BJP – through its Twitter handle – released an over a seven-minute-long video in which the role of the then Congress and Communist leaders was questioned.
The party said: "Those who had no knowledge of India's cultural heritage, civilization, values, pilgrimages, in just three weeks, they drew the border between people living together for centuries. Where were those people at that time who had the responsibility of fighting against these divisive forces?"
Responding to this, Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary fin-charge of communication, said in a series of tweets in Hindi, "The real intent of PM [Prime Minister] to mark August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day is to use the most traumatic historical events as fodder for his current political battles. Lakhs upon lakhs were dislocated and lost their lives. Their sacrifices must not be forgotten or disrespected."
He further added: "The tragedy of partition, cannot be misused to fuel hate & prejudice. The truth is Savarkar originated 2 nation theory and Jinnah perfected it. Sardar Patel wrote, “I felt that if we did not accept partition, India would be split into many bits and would be completely ruined.”
Mr. Ramesh asked if the Prime Minister would also remember today Syama Prasad Mookherjee, the founder of the Jan Sangh, who championed the Partition of Bengal against the wishes of Sarat Chandra Bose. "...and who sat in free India's first Cabinet while the tragic consequences of Partition were becoming evident?" he asked in Hindi.
"The modern day Savarkars and Jinnahs are continuing their efforts to divide the nation," noted the Congress leader, adding that the Indian National Congress would uphold the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and many others who were untiring in their efforts to unite the nation. "The politics of hate will be defeated," he said.
