Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Wednesday, paid homage to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on the latter’s birth anniversary by garlanding his statue at the Deendayal Upadhyay Smritika near Jai Narain College on Charbagh Road.
In his address, Yogi emphasised that it was Upadhyaya’s visionary leadership that brought villages, the underprivileged, farmers and women to the forefront of political agendas across parties.
He said, “Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was the pioneer of Antyodaya, a profound thinker, philosopher and one of the founding leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. The principles that Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya introduced to Indian politics 60-70 years ago continue to resonate in Indian democracy today, as reflected in numerous programmes initiated by political parties.”
Yogi remarked that Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideology focused on the uplift of villages, the poor, farmers, marginalised sections of society and women, guiding them toward self-reliance.
“He championed the motto, ‘Work for every hand, water for every field’, believing that true economic progress is not reflected by the prosperity of the elite, but by the uplift and well-being of those at the bottom of society,” he stated.
Yogi Adityanath added, “The vision Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya introduced to Indian politics 70 years ago remains as relevant today as ever. This vision is evident in the significant strides made since the COVID-19 pandemic: 80 crore people receiving free rations, 12 crore households gaining access to toilets, 10 crore families benefiting from free Ujjwala Yojana cooking gas cylinders, four crore poor receiving houses, and 12 crore farmers benefiting from the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. This reflects a commitment to holistic development, aiming to uplift society through cultural progress and the nation’s overall growth.”
Chief Minister Yogi further noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, this vision has been brought to life over the past decade, paving the way for a new India.
He mentioned that the Bharatiya Janata Party, the world’s largest political party, has chosen to commemorate Pandit Upadhyaya’s birth anniversary as the day to launch its membership campaign. He also commended the BJP’s Lucknow Mahanagar team for their ambitious goal of enrolling 100 members at every booth.
The chief minister echoed Prime Minister Modi’s belief that elections are won not at the district, parliamentary or assembly level, but at the booth level.
“The booth is the Kurukshetra of elections. Winning the booth means winning the election. A strong booth ensures victory,” he said.
BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, Rajya Sabha member Brijlal, MLA Neeraj Bora, MLC Mukesh Sharma, Ramchandra Pradhan, Lalji Prasad Nirmal, former minister Mohsin Raza, BJP city president Anand Dwivedi, councilor Sushil Tiwari, booth president Manish Kumar and others were present at the programme.
During the event, the chief minister also inducted five new members into the Bharatiya Janata Party as part of its membership drive.
He expressed confidence that the targets set by the BJP at the national, state and booth levels would be easily met by the party’s dedicated workers. So far, the city of Lucknow has successfully added 2,52,494 new members.
