Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said the "remarkable transformation and progress" of the country over the past nine years are inspired by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay's visionary approach.
Adityanath was speaking on the occasion of the 107th death anniversary of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh co-founder Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. He paid floral tributes to his statue at Charbagh here.
Recalling the ideals of the late politician, the chief minister said that the leader always worked with a vision for the welfare of individuals in the last wrung of the society, an official statement issued here said.
"Presently, the double-engine government of BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fulfilling the vision of Pandit ji," he added.
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"The remarkable transformation and comprehensive progress witnessed in the country over the past nine-and-a-half years owes inspiration to Pandit ji's visionary approach," the chief minister added.
Referring to Upadhyay as the "man behind Antyodaya", who made the vision of integral humanism a part of the agenda of Indian politics, Adityanath described him as a strong supporter of honesty in politics. The visionary asserted that economic progress should not be measured by the person sitting at the highest position, but by the person sitting at the lowest position.
Upadhyay's concept of 'Antyodaya' became a pivotal means of ensuring the welfare of the underprivileged in independent India, the chief minister said.
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Adityanath also said that the government led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from 1998 to 2004, started several schemes for the welfare of the poor, drawing ideas from Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay as inspiration.
Presently, the inspiration behind all the schemes ongoing during Modi's tenure is rooted in Pandit Deendayal's vision of 'Antyodaya', he added.
Born in Mathura in 1916, Upadhyay joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and was a co-founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP's progenitor.
His philosophy of integral humanism and, especially, Antyodaya -- uplift of the most downtrodden -- have often been cited by Modi as a major influence on his politics and policies.
On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, UP Minister Swatantradev Singh, Lucknow mayor Sushma Kharkwal, former mayor of Lucknow Sanyukta Bhatia and BJP leader Neeraj Singh paid tributes to the leader's statue in Charbagh, the statement said.
-With PTI Input
