Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: “Swami Ramanand Teerth, who lit the flame of the freedom struggle in Marathwada, was imprisoned for four months. It made no difference. Many leaders were ready for this struggle; they kept this flame burning. After coming out of prison, he intensified this struggle in Hyderabad and Marathwada. Women and youth participated in it in large numbers. The region was freed from the yoke of the Nizam on September 17, 1948, because of this,” asserted Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister.
He was speaking after unveiling the statue of Swami Ramanand Teerth erected at the Swatantra Sangram Smarak (Jhansi Rani Udyan) in Kranti Chowk on Sunday.
Other Backward Classes Bahujan Welfare Minister Atul Save, MPs Sandipan Bhumre and Dr Bhagwat Karad, MLC Sanjay Kenekar, MLA Anuradha Chavan, BJP City president Kishor Shitole, former MLA D K Deshmukh, Dr Shirish Khedgikar, Sarang Takalkar, Shirish Boralkar and others were present.
Administrator of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) G Sreekanth welcomed the dignitaries. The Chief Minister further said that it is a big matter that the memory of Swami Ramanand Teerth is being preserved.
“He was born in a Khedgikar family. Later, he took 'Diksha' and became Swami Ramanand. He worked in Marathwada in the same way that Swami Vivekananda spread patriotism among the citizens through his work across the country,” he added.
Fadnavis said that the country became independent in 1947, while the role Swami Ramanand played when Sardar Patel was the Home Minister also proved to be important in this. After 13 months, Marathwada was freed from the clutches of the Nizams and Razakars,” he said.
He also mentioned that everyone remembers him on September 17 every year.
The Chief Minister also felicitated Niranjan Madilgekar, who made the statue and Mehraj Siddiqui of Bidwell Construction, who did the work on the platform.