Yogi dedicates Prerna Park to national icons

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday inaugurated Prerna Park here and unveiled statues of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Ashok Singhal, describing them as three great personalities whose lives were dedicated to nationalism, good governance and Sanatan values.

Addressing the gathering, Adityanath said India’s soul resides in Sanatan Dharma and Lord Ram represents the essence of the nation’s cultural unity.

“The soul of India resides in Sanatan Dharma, and Lord Ram is the primary source of India’s soul. Ram represents the nation and is the thread that binds India from north to south in unity,” he said after unveiling the statues. Paying tribute to Singhal, the chief minister said the late Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader devoted his entire life to Sanatan values and the nation.

“The grand Ram temple that we see today in Ayodhya and the transformed Ayodhya of today are founded on Ashok Singhal ji’s vision. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was the biggest cultural movement after Independence, bringing saints from across the country onto one platform,” Adityanath said.

Recalling the Ram Janmabhoomi movement of the 1980s and 1990s, he said slogans supporting the construction of the Ram temple resonated across the country, transcending barriers of caste, region and language under Singhal’s leadership.

The chief minister also said Singhal, an engineering graduate from Banaras Hindu University, chose to dedicate his life to the nation and Sanatan Dharma instead of pursuing a professional career.

“He not only devoted his life to the nation but also dedicated his ancestral property for the welfare of the poor, forest dwellers and the underprivileged, setting an example for society,” he said.

Adityanath said the occasion was significant as it coincided with the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, whom he described as a leader committed to India’s unity and integrity.

The chief minister thanked the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation, the mayor and public representatives for developing Prerna Park and organising the programme.

Highlighting Mookerjee’s contribution, Adityanath said he resigned from the Union Cabinet led by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in protest against policies he believed were against national interests.

He said Mookerjee later founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and laid the ideological foundation for the BJP.

“The dreams of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee have been realised under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The abrogation of Article 370 integrated Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India like every other state,” Adityanath said.

The chief minister also praised former prime minister Vajpayee, calling him a model of political integrity and good governance.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee showed what political stability and probity in public life should be. During over six decades in public life as a parliamentarian, minister and prime minister, no one could cast a stain on his public life. His model of governance for villages, the poor, farmers and youth was exemplary,” he said.

Recalling the recently concluded Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, Adityanath said around 66 crore devotees visited the city over a month.

“Despite the unprecedented influx of devotees from across the country and the world, the people of Prayagraj never expressed any negativity. They felt proud that the world was coming to their city,” he said.