Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday paid tributes to India's first president Dr Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary and said that he provided leadership at every step of the independence movement.
The chief minister garlanded Dr Prasad's statue on behalf of the people of the state, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement here.
Speaking on the occasion, Adityanath said that Dr Prasad was a great freedom fighter, who joined the independence movement under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership.
"The Constitution for independent India was created under the chairmanship of Dr Rajendra Prasad. He was not only a frontline warrior in the battle for the country's freedom, but also a key architect of the governance structure of the country," he added.
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The chief minister also noted that despite opposition from the then government, Dr Prasad actively participated in the reconstruction programme of the Somnath Temple.
Adityanath said that Prayagraj and Kumbh held a special place in Dr Prasad's heart and he was a strong supporter of the Indian culture and tradition.
Born on December 3, 1884, in Ziradei village of Bihar's Siwan district, Dr Prasad served as the first President of India from 1950 to 1962.
He joined the Indian National Congress during the independence movement and became a major leader from the region of Bihar and Maharashtra.
Dr Prasad was imprisoned by the British authorities during the 1930 Salt Satyagraha and the 1942 Quit India movement.
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Upon independence in 1947, he was elected as the President of the Constituent Assembly of India, which prepared the Constitution of India and served as its provisional Parliament.
When India became a republic in 1950, Dr Prasad was elected as its first president by the Constituent Assembly.
He passed away on February 28, 1963.
-With PTI Input
