Remembering freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his hundredth death anniversary, Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that Tilak dedicated his entire life to India’s freedom struggle.

“Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it”, saying this in the 19th century and spending whole life to achieve it can not be done by many. This sentence will always be associated with Lokmanya Tilak as golden letters in the history of our freedom struggle,” Shah said while addressing a webinar organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) as a tribute to Tilak.

Earlier in the day, the home minister took to Twitter and paid his tribute, revisiting Tilak’s indelible contribution to the country’s freedom struggle and history.

“Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak ji has an incomparable contribution to the freedom movement, dedicating every moment of his life to the nation and creating an ideological generation of revolutionaries,” Shah tweeted.

“He was a staunch opponent of untouchability and launched a huge movement to unite the society divided on the basis of caste and sects,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also remembered Tilak on his death anniversary and shared a video on his heroic life.

 

“India bows to Lokmanya Tilak on his 100th Punya Tithi. His intellect, courage, sense of justice and idea of Swaraj continue to inspire. Here are some facets of Lokmanya Tilak’s life…” PM’s tweet read.

ICCR president and member of Rajya Sabha, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe described Tilak as “perhaps the first political leader in modern India to appreciate the importance of identity issues”. Tilak sounded a clarion call for ‘swaraj’ (complete freedom). ‘Swadeshi’ was an important cause espoused by Tilak.

 

“Today, when we talk about Atmanirbhar Bharat, the legacy of Tilak is carried forward. Reviving the spirit of economic nationalism for indigenously manufactured goods and striving for social integration through culture are the features of Tilak’s strategy and they continue to be relevant even today as we observe his 100th death anniversary on August 1,” Sahasrabuddhe noted.