Veer Bal Diwas: A heartfelt tribute — or a carefully curated political project of the Modi Government?
SENIOR BJP leader and former Punjab minister Laxmikanta Chawla has urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to commemorate “all martyr children” of India instead of primarily honouring the Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
On the surface, her statement sounds emotional and patriotic. In reality, it exposes the BJP’s discomfort with distinct Sikh historical memory and raises serious questions about the real purpose behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration of Veer Bal Diwas.
Chawla argues that thousands of children sacrificed their lives, and therefore the narrative must be broadened. No one disputes the sacrifices of countless young martyrs.
But framing this argument in a way that sidelines the unique civilisational significance of the Sahibzadas is neither respect nor inclusivity. It is dilution. It shifts the Sahibzadas from the heart of Punjab’s conscience into a generic patriotic category — turning remembrance into political narrative management.
Her Own Words Reveal the Direction of This Narrative
Her statement is best understood in her own words. Here is the verbatim English translation:
“Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should celebrate the martyrdom day of all brave children of Punjab… The truth is that not only four children were brave; there are thousands of children in this country who faced bullets, who were beaten with lathis, and who rotted in jails… The Punjab Government should collect their names, including those from present-day Pakistan Punjab, organise programmes for them, and educate the young generation about them”
The language sounds noble. The intention, however, appears political. If Veer Bal Diwas was truly meant as a sacred tribute to the Sahibzadas, why does a senior BJP leader feel compelled to immediately expand, generalise and rebrand it?
This is precisely the apprehension Sikhs around the world — including the Jathedar of Akal Takht — have been voicing. They have consistently appealed to the Modi Government to rename Veer Bal Diwas in a way that truly reflects and honours the incomparable sacrifice of the four Sahibzadas.
Why must Sikh history be absorbed into a blurred nationalist narrative the moment it asserts its distinct identity?
Punjab Needs Truth — Not Political Appropriation of Memory
Veer Bal Diwas increasingly risks becoming less about Sikh remembrance and more about political appropriation.
Veer Bal Diwas 2025
Endless data-collection rhetoric, emotional speeches and nationalistic packaging do not strengthen historical memory.
They dilute it. When everything becomes the same, nothing retains meaning.
If the BJP truly cared about education and awareness, it would speak of curriculum reform, serious historical research, heritage preservation, museums, archives and credible documentation. Instead, we hear selective moral lecturing designed to dissolve distinct identity into a comfortable national narrative.
Punjab does not protect history by flattening it. Punjab protects it by recognising depth. The Sahibzadas are not simply “among many brave children.”
They are a towering civilisational symbol of resistance to tyranny, spiritual strength and moral courage. They cannot be repackaged to suit political convenience in Delhi.
This debate therefore goes beyond Laxmikanta Chawla. It directly challenges the BJP. The party’s national leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi must clarify whether they endorse such statements by their senior leaders — or whether they distance themselves from this narrative.
The country deserves to know whether Veer Bal Diwas is intended as a sincere tribute or as a political instrument.
Yes, Laxmikanta Chawla has spoken. But in doing so, she has raised a far bigger question — not about Punjab, but about the BJP and the Modi Government.
Is Veer Bal Diwas truly a heartfelt tribute, or a carefully curated political project? Is it remembrance, or appropriation? Honour — or narrative engineering by the BJP? Punjab understands the difference. History will too. 
Read – analysis from AIDEMon this topic here
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kanwar manjit singh
Kanwar Manjit Singh, Founder Editor of Punjab Today, writes extensively on Punjab’s history, governance, and the evolving landscape of civil liberties in India.
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