Amit Shah calls it 'great day' as BJP assumes office in West Bengal

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said, Today is a great day as the saffron flag has risen in West Bengal, the land of spiritual leaders, including Swami Vivekananda, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said, ''Today is a great day as the saffron flag has risen'' in West Bengal, the land of spiritual leaders, including Swami Vivekananda, and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He was referring to the BJP government assuming office in West Bengal following the Assembly poll in the state. While addressing 'Yediyurappa Abhimanotsava,' a felicitation for BJP stalwart and former chief minister B S Yediyurappa on his completing 50 years in politics, Shah said that Yediyurappa was instrumental in bringing together pontiffs of various sects in Karnataka. ''Today is a great day for all those in this country who regard Mother India as sacred and live their lives in devotion to her. Because on the very land where Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the pioneer of our ideology, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, were born, the saffron flag has risen there today,'' Shah said here. He said the day chosen for the event in Chitradurga coincided with the formation of the BJP government in West Bengal. Congratulating the organising committee of the event, he said he has been visiting Karnataka since 2014 and shared many stages with revered saints. Because of Yediyurappa's personality, today we have before us a stage where Swamijis from all faiths and sects are present, Shah told the huge public gathering. ''This sends a message to the entire Karnataka and the whole country - if one lives such a life, then irrespective of sect, denomination, caste, or the caste of the followers, everyone comes together on one stage. This itself is a very great thing,'' Shah, also a senior BJP leader, said. The home minister also said that A few days ago, some people created controversy saying that he had spoken about building a memorial in honour of 18th-century Chitradurga ruler Veera Raja Madakari Nayaka, who had fought against the Mysuru ruler Hyder Ali. ''I had indeed spoken about it during the Assembly elections. The Congress formed the government, but do not worry – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is there, and we will definitely build this memorial here itself,'' he added. Regarding Yediyurappa, he said that he had devoted his entire life to ordinary people. He also asked people to follow his path. When Yediyurappa began his journey from Shikaripura as an ordinary young man, he had no political background, Shah said. Yediyurappa's willpower, the values instilled by the RSS, and the belief that the nation comes first remained the guiding principle of his entire life, the Union minister noted. ''Whenever the political history of India or the history of the BJP is written, Yediyurappa's name will definitely be written in golden letters among the leaders who expanded the BJP in South India,'' Shah said. According to the minister, when the Jan Sangh and later the BJP were formed, it was often said that the BJP could never grow in the South. ''But Yediyurappa proved them wrong by becoming the first deputy chief minister and then chief minister, thereby opening the doors of the BJP in South India,'' Shah pointed out. He also hailed Yediyurappa for helping place Bengaluru on the world map as a global technology hub and worked to promote harmony among various communities such as Lingayats, OBCs, Dalits, Gowdas and others. Recalling an incident, Shah said, in 2014, when the BJP formed a majority government at the Centre for the first time, and Modi became prime minister, the Cabinet was being formed. Yediyurappa rejected an offer to be part of the BJP government, saying that his priority was Karnataka and his wish was to bring back the BJP government in the state, the Minister said.