Chief minister Mamata Banerjee paid rich tribute to the Indian Army on Vijay Divas, the day when the Pakistan Army surrendered before the Indian Army in 1971.

She remembered the bravery and sacrifice of their life, who laid their lives for the country. She said she pays her homage to them. She also mentioned the presence of some of the Mukti Joddhas (freedom fighters).

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She said she can’t forget the role of Indian soldiers for the freedom of Bangladesh. “Some of them are present here, I heard,” she said.

She refused to comment on the situation that is prevalent in Bangladesh now. “I reserve all my comments on the present situation in Bangladesh. It is the affair of the Indian Government and the Army. It is not proper for me to say anything on this.”

She said as a child she used to listen to her father who used to talk about the war between India and China in 1962. “I was a little girl and my father, who was a freedom fighter and died prematurely at the age of 40 years, used to tell me about the sacrifice of the Indian Army. On this day, I pay homage to the Indian Army.”

She said as Indians we have the highest regards for the Army. “We salute them and remember those who have sacrificed their lives to save our country. They had played an important role in the freedom movement of Bangladesh.”

Miss Banerjee concluded her speech by quoting the line of an immortal song of Lata Mangeshkar which read “Aye mere watan ke logon…,” who had sung this song at the request of Pandit Nehru in Delhi. The song brings tears to the listeners till today, she said.