Tributes paid to Deendayal Upadhyay on birth anniversary

BJP leaders on Saturday paid tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh co-founder Deendayal Upadhyay on his 105th birth anniversary, with UP Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma saying the leader wanted a casteless and discrimination-free society.

BJP leaders on Saturday paid tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh co-founder Deendayal Upadhyay on his 105th birth anniversary, with UP Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma saying the leader wanted a casteless and discrimination-free society. Born in Mathura, Upadhyay was an RSS pracharak who joined Syama Prasad Mookerjee in building the Jana Sangh, the progenitor to the BJP. '

'He dreamt of a casteless and discrimination-free society. He was a true patriot of the country and a source of inspiration for the countrymen. Deendayalji's aim was to see India touching heights in social, political, economic and academic sectors,'' Sharma said at a function at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Scientific Convention Centre. Meanwhile, BJP's national vice-president Radha Mohan Singh paid tributes to the leader at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Smriti Vatika here. Singh said the aim of a political party and its workers should be to give economic, political and social justice to the last man in society. He added that the BJP is accused of being communal but asked, ''Is the chanting of Vande Mataram communal?'' ''Is chanting of Jai Shri Ram, the demand to abrogate Article 370 and the construction of the Ram temple communal? Is calling oneself a Hindu communal,'' he asked, accusing the SP and the BSP of appeasement politics. Praising BJP workers, Singh said, ''We do not do politics to make MLAs or MPs. We make MLAs and MPs so that hands are raised in favour of the Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370, extending support to the CAA." ''A BJP worker works to strengthen the country and such workers cannot be found anywhere in the world,'' he said. UP BJP general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal said the party is celebrating the birth anniversary of Deendayal Upadhyay at the booth level from September 24 to 26. Bansal paid tributes to Upadhyay at the UP BJP office in Lucknow. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid floral tributes to Upadhyaya in Gorakhpur. ''Many public welfare schemes have been implemented in the country to benefit the most deprived people of society under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the inspiration behind 'antyodaya' is Deendayal Upadhayay,'' he said. ''He (Upadhyay) was very clear that the base of any welfare scheme shouldn't be rich and prosperous people but the last man of society and now his dream is becoming true,'' Adityanath said in Gorakhpur. He added, ''Prime Minister ran many welfare schemes for the country, including houses and toilets for every poor, free LPG gas connection to poor women, health cover up to Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman scheme and benefits of such schemes are not given after seeing their religion, caste, area and face of people.''