New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday changed his display picture on social media accounts to the national flag and urged people to do the same as part of a collective movement to celebrate the Tricolour.
Other senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers, followed suit.
Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari and Chief ministers Yogi Adityanath and Shivraj Singh Chouhan were among a large number of party members who switched their profile pictures on Twitter to the national flag.
In his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio broadcast on Sunday, Modi said the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is turning into a mass movement and urged people to put ‘Tiranga’ as the profile picture of their social media accounts between August 02 and 15.
“It is a special 2nd August today! At a time when we are marking Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, our nation is all set for Har Ghar Tiranga, a collective movement to celebrate our Tricolour. I have changed the DP on my social media pages and urge you all to do the same,” he said in a tweet.
Modi also paid homage to the Pingali Venkayya, who had designed the flag, on his birth anniversary.
“Our nation will forever be indebted to him for his efforts of giving us the Tricolour, which we are very proud of. Taking strength and inspiration from the Tricolour, may we keep working for national progress,” he said.
The BJP government has envisaged the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ initiative, urging people to unfurl the national flag at their homes between August 13-15.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said a new India is being shaped under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has enhanced India’s honour internationally and made it indispensable to the world.
Addressing ‘Tiranga Utsav’ to honour the creator of the national flag, Pingali Venkayya, Shah also appealed everyone to make the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign a grand success by hoisting the tricolour from their homes and uploading its image as their profile picture on social media accounts.
“The dream of a new India is coming up under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, the whole world is looking towards India with respect. Between 2014 and 2022, Prime Minister Modi has enhanced India’s prestige in the world.
“Today the world does not take any decision on any issue unless Prime Minister Modi gives his opinion,” he said.
The home minister said lakhs of people sacrificed their lives over the years to see India honoured like this.
“They have sacrificed their lives to see an India which is self-reliant, a country which is proud of its history, a country which not only makes its own future … Such a new India is being built under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, it is being built as per the dream of Prime Minister Modi,” he said.
Shah said Modi has now given a call for hoisting of the national flag from every home from August 13 to 15 as part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ and to upload the tricolour in the social media profiles.
“There is no better way to give respect to the soldiers of the country, martyrs of the country,” he said.
The home minister said the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is being celebrated, as India completes 75 years of its independence, to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the country.
“There were many unsung heroes of our freedom struggle, whom people have forgotten. This ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ is an occasion to remember and give respect to all such unsung heroes,” he said.
Shah said another of their aims is to take India’s success stories to everyone in the country, and spread the success of Indian democracy to every part of the world.
“The third aim is to make India ‘Vishwa Guru’ by 2047 through the collective efforts of every Indian,” he said.
The home minister also paid rich tributes to Venkayya, the creator of the country’s national flag.
In 1916, Venkayya had published a book offering 30 designs of what could make the Indian flag.
One of these designs was finally approved for the national flag by Mahatma Gandhi at the Vijayawada Congress in 1921.
