Raipur, CG: Chief Minister designate Vishnu Deo Sai paid tribute to two great personas, former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh on Wednesday before heading for the oath-taking ceremony scheduled.

Sai reached Avanti Vihar ATM chowk and garlanded the statue of former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the pioneer of Chhattisgarh state.

He then reached Jai Stambh Chowk and garlanded the statue of Chhattisgarh's first freedom fighter Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh and paid tribute to his dedication and sacrifices for Chhattisgarh Mahtari.

Chhattisgarh state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 2000. The demand for Chhattisgarh state was being raised since 1965, but it was eventually met by the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000.

Chhattisgarh's first freedom fighter Shaheed Veernarayan Singh was a tribal hero who sacrificed his life for Chhattisgarh Mahtari. He was born in 1795 in a zamindar family of Sonakhan. Veer Narayan Singh is an important name among the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the freedom struggle of 1857. He fought valiantly against British rule to save the poor from starvation during the severe famine of 1856. He formed an army of gunmen and fought bravely against the oppression of British rulers. To curb the rebellion, the British administration imprisoned Veer Narayan Singh through diplomacy and hanged him to death on 10 December 1857, after trial. It is said that he was hanged at the Jaistambh.