New Delhi, April 28 Mizoram Governor General V.K. Singh will chair a seminar at the Delhi Assembly on April 30 to mark the 108th anniversary of the colonial-era War Conference and lead Delhi legislators in paying tributes to Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the First World War, an official said on Tuesday.
"At the event to mark 108 years ago of the conference that was held on April 28, 1918, in the Delhi Assembly building, the Governor will also deliver the keynote address and release a publication reproducing the proceedings of the colonial era meet," the official said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta led the state MLAs in paying respect to the soldiers who laid down their lives on foreign land.
"Kindly, observe a one-minute silence to pay homage to those Indian soldiers who, 108 years ago, laid down their lives in the discharge of their duty," he said.
Speaker Gupta said in a statement that in this very Chamber where we sit today as representatives of the people of Delhi, the then Viceroy Lord Chelmsford convened a historic War Conference on April 27, 28 and 29, 1918.
"Taking the MLAs down the memory lane, the Assembly Speaker said that nearly 120 representatives from across the country assembled here, including rulers of princely states, representatives of provinces and national leaders. The subject was India's role in the First World War," he added.
"The significance of this conference lay not only in the call issued here for the recruitment of Indian soldiers, but also in the fact that Mahatma Gandhi himself was present and supported India's full cooperation with the British Empire, in the belief that India's loyalty in the war would be rewarded with Swaraj or 'self-rule'," Speaker Gupta said.
"However, history stands witness that this trust was betrayed. Nearly 13 lakh Indian soldiers served on behalf of the British Empire during the First World War, from Flanders to Gallipoli and Mesopotamia," he added.
"More than 74,000 Indian soldiers laid down their lives on foreign soil. In place of gratitude, what India received from this very House was the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre," he said.
"Honourable Members, this House in which we sit today, this historic Old Secretariat, constructed in 1912 and designed by E. Montague Thomas, is not merely a structure of brick and stone, but the birthplace of India's parliamentary history," Speaker Gupta added.
"It was in this Chamber that the first meeting of the Central Legislative Council was held on January 17, 1913. Eminent leaders such as Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Bipin Chandra Pal, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lala Lajpat Rai and Vitthalbhai Patel raised their voices within these very walls," the Delhi Assembly Speaker said.
"It is, therefore, our duty to remember those 75,000 unnamed Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in a war not their own and who remained, for long, forgotten by history. As a free nation, we offer our tribute to their sacrifice," he added.
"At the same time, it is also our duty to recognise the depth of this institution's legacy. The walls that once echoed the voice of an imperial Viceroy now resonate with the voices of the elected representatives of a free India. This transformation, this journey, is the greatest achievement of our freedom struggle," the Delhi Assembly Speaker said.
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