Rajnath, Adityanath pay tributes to former UP CM Kalyan Singh on birth anniversary

Lucknow, Jan 5 PTI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to veteran BJP leader Kalyan Singh on his birth anniversary on Wednesday.Fondly called Babu ji by his supporters, Kalyan Singh was born on January 5, 1932 in Atrauli Aligarh, and died in Lucknow on August 21, 2021 at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences SGPGI in Lucknow.

Lucknow, Jan 5 (PTI) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tributes to veteran BJP leader Kalyan Singh on his birth anniversary on Wednesday.

Fondly called 'Babu ji' by his supporters, Kalyan Singh was born on January 5, 1932 in Atrauli (Aligarh), and died in Lucknow on August 21, 2021 at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow. He was 89.

''I bow to former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh ji on his birth anniversary. He was a major pillar of Indian politics not only in Uttar Pradesh. He worked lifelong for the welfare of the poor, farmers and backward classes. My heartfelt tribute to him,'' Rajnath Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.

Paying tributes to the departed leader, Yogi Adityanath described the veteran BJP leader Kalyan Singh as a popular mass leader, conscientious member of the BJP family who made an incomparable contribution to the Ram Mandir movement.

''Respected Babu ji will always be remembered for his firm decisions and clean life,'' Adityanath said in a tweet.

Remembering his grandfather on his birth anniversary, Sandeep Singh, Minister of State (MoS) for Finance, Technical Education, Medical Education, told PTI, ''Babu jee may not be present physically amongst us, but emotionally he is with each one of us.'' ''Babujee's dream was to see a grand temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, and we have been able to fulfill his dream,'' he said. Atrauli has been virtually synonymous with the late UP Chief Minister, who had been a 10-time MLA from this assembly constituency.

Kalyan Singh became MLA for the first time in 1967 from Atrauli on Bharatiya Jana Sangh ticket and retained the constituency in 1969 and 1974 too. In 1977, he won Atrauli as a candidate of Janata Party.

Lok Sabha MP from Etah and Kalyan Singh's son Rajveer Singh told PTI, ''I am of the view that Babu jee is still alive with us.'' PTI NAV SNS RCJ