Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday called former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee an icon of good governance, lauding his role in transforming political instability into stability and achieving the goals of effective governance.

Adityanath made the remarks while inaugurating Good Governance Week at the Sangeet Natak Academy here, as he unveiled an exhibition celebrating the life and contributions of the late Prime Minister, also a Bharat Ratna recipient, according to an official statement.

The week-long event, marking the 100th birth anniversary of Vajpayee, will continue until December 25.

In his address, the CM said, “This year marks the birth centenary of Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister and a great son of Mother India. With the inspiration of PM Narendra Modi, Good Governance Week is being started in the entire country and the state.”

“Atalji’s ancestral roots are in Uttar Pradesh, which he chose as his karmabhoomi, representing the state multiple times in Parliament from Balrampur and Lucknow,” Adityanath added.

“He also provided exemplary leadership to the nation, both as foreign minister and prime minister. Known as the ‘Ajatashatru’ of Indian politics, Atalji was not only a politician but also a poet, journalist, and litterateur, whose six decades of public life remained untainted,” he remarked further.

He commended Vajpayee’s visionary initiatives, such as the Antyodaya scheme, aimed at empowering the poor, deprived and marginalised sections of society, as well as ensuring the rights of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and backward classes.

He also highlighted transformative projects like the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana and the Golden Quadrilateral, which ushered in a new era of world-class infrastructure and highways in India.

The CM further said that programmes have begun in every district as part of Good Governance Week, which will continue until December 25.

These programmes include essay writing competitions on good governance for school children, speeches at the higher education level, painting competitions, and seminars in rural areas.

Additionally, events will be organised throughout the year to continue celebrating Atalji’s legacy and the winners of these activities will be honoured on December 25, he added.

On that evening, a special poetry session based on Atalji’s poems will be held in every district, school and college, providing a platform for budding poets to showcase their talent, the CM said.