Anurag Thakur pays tribute on August Kranti Divas 2026
Synopsis
BJP MP Anurag Thakur marked August Kranti Divas on 9 August with a tribute to freedom fighters of the 1942 Quit India Movement, calling it one of the greatest events in India's quest for independence and honouring Mahatma Gandhi's mass civil disobedience campaign.
Key Takeaways
BJP MP Anurag Thakur posted a tribute on 9 August marking August Kranti Divas , offering reverence to all freedom fighters of the independence struggle.
The Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan, Bombay , demanding immediate British withdrawal.
Thakur described the movement as a symbol of the 'glorious saga' of India's freedom fighters and one of the greatest events in fulfilling India's aspirations for independence.
August Kranti Divas is observed annually on 9 August and forms part of a week of national remembrance leading to Independence Day on 15 August .
Tributes on this day are a cross-party tradition, with leaders invoking the 1942 movement to connect present-day governance to the independence era's sacrifices.
Eighty-four years after Mahatma Gandhi's electrifying call of 'Karo ya Maro' (Do or Die) shook British India to its foundations, BJP MP Anurag Thakur marked August Kranti Divas on 9 August with a solemn tribute to every freedom fighter who answered that call.
In his post, Thakur offered 'koti-koti naman' — a reverence beyond counting — to the participants of the Quit India Movement, describing it as one of the greatest events in the fulfilment of Maa Bharati ki swatantrata ki akankshaaon — Mother India's aspirations for freedom. He called the mass movement launched by the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, a symbol of the glorious saga of India's freedom fighters.
The day that changed the independence struggle
The Quit India Movement — Bharat Chhodo Andolan — was formally launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay, now remembered as August Kranti Maidan. The demand was unambiguous: immediate British withdrawal from India. The British response was equally swift — Gandhi and most senior Congress leaders were arrested within hours, yet the movement spread across the country as an unprecedented act of mass civil disobedience.
The movement is remembered not merely as a political milestone but as a moral one — ordinary Indians, without their leaders, sustained resistance against one of the most powerful empires in history. It is this spirit that 9 August commemorates each year as August Kranti Divas.
A national remembrance that crosses party lines
Tributes on 9 August have become a fixture of India's political calendar, with leaders across the spectrum invoking the 1942 movement to connect contemporary governance to the sacrifices of the independence era. The observance sits at the midpoint of a week of national memory — from August Kranti Divas through to Independence Day on 15 August — during which the freedom struggle is recalled in speeches, official events, and parliamentary proceedings.
For Thakur, a Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh and former Union Minister, the post is part of that annual act of collective remembrance. The nation pauses. The names of the unsung are spoken again. That, in itself, is the point.
Point of View
Invoking Gandhi and the mass movements of 1942 serves a dual purpose: it participates in the broad national consensus of remembrance while also reinforcing the party's claim to the full inheritance of India's freedom legacy. Thakur's post fits a well-established pattern, but the pattern itself reflects how deeply the 1942 movement remains embedded in India's political identity — not as distant history, but as a living reference point for what public sacrifice looks like.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is August Kranti Divas and why is it celebrated on 9 August?
August Kranti Divas is observed on 9 August each year to mark the anniversary of the Quit India Movement , which Mahatma Gandhi launched on 8 August 1942 demanding immediate British withdrawal from India. The day honours the freedom fighters who sustained the movement.
What was the Quit India Movement of 1942?
The Quit India Movement , or Bharat Chhodo Andolan , was a nationwide civil disobedience campaign launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 8 August 1942 at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay . It called for an immediate end to British rule and is considered one of the most significant mass movements in India's independence struggle.
Who is Anurag Thakur and what is his political role?
Anurag Thakur is a BJP Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh . He previously served as Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports in the central government.
What did Anurag Thakur say about the Quit India Movement?
Thakur described the movement as one of the greatest events in fulfilling India's aspirations for freedom and called it a symbol of the glorious saga of the nation's freedom fighters. He offered koti-koti naman — boundless reverence — to all participants of the independence struggle.
Where was the Quit India Movement formally launched?
The movement was formally launched by Mahatma Gandhi at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay on 8 August 1942 . The ground is today known as August Kranti Maidan in memory of the event.
