Delegation to meet PM for Bharat Ratna to Netaji

Raipur, Mar 6: A delegation of the Netaji Subhash Manch will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over several demands including conferring the Bharat Ratna on Indian National Army Commander-in-Chief Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

''The delegation, including office-bearers of the Netaji Mission and Sultanpur's Bharat Bharti, will leave for New Delhi tomorrow.

The Centre should observe Netaji's birth anniversary January 23 as Subhas Jayanti and declare it as a national holiday,'' said Manch Convenor Shailendra Tiwari.

Demanding that the immortal leader's statue be installed in Parliament's premises, he added that the Orissa government heeded his demand and declared January 23 as a public holiday while the Chhattisgarh regime made it an optional holiday and the Madhya Pradesh government was contemplating the issue.

''As Netaji was incarcerated for a long period in Jabalpur Jail, a memorial and museum should be built and a research centre be set up,'' Mr Tiwari felt.

UNI