Paying rich tributes to the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 98th birth anniversary, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the leader rose above party lines and is respected by all.
"His journey of six decades in public life has been without any stain. Politics without principles can have no place in social life. He never compromised with the values and ideals," Adityanath said.
"As a leader, Atalji was a symbol of how India's politics became stable, accountable and transparent. Be it standards or an action plan to develop India's infrastructure, he had brought a massive change in the lives of over crores of people during his tenure," he added.
The event was also marked by the recitation of poems written by Vajpayee, followed by the screening of a short film based on his life and philosophy at Lok Bhavan here.
The chief minister said Atalji's birth anniversary is celebrated as 'Good Governance Day' and extended the heartiest wishes to all for the same.
The CM said keeping in mind the values and ideals in politics, Atal ji had done the task of changing the politics of instability into stability by giving priority to mutual coordination and communication.
"Today the same stability is making India emerge as a big power of the world under the leadership of PM Modi. In the Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, India's economy has grown from that of Britain, which ruled us for 200 years," he said.
It is a matter of pride that PM Modi is leading 20 developed countries. The work done under his leadership in the last eight years and the foundation stone laid by Atal ji between 1998 and 2004 is making India scale new heights in the current time, Adityanath said.
Stating that the double-engine government has adopted a sensitive approach towards the public deriving inspiration from Atal Ji, Adityanath said, "For the first time during Covid-19, 135 crore people got the facility of free tests, treatment and two vaccines. Similarly, for the first time during the pandemic, more than 80 crore people received free ration."
CM said Atal ji gave priority to human values and was accepted as a universal leader in the country and the world.
"When there was a crisis in front of India on the global stage, even the then governments used to send him to lead the country. At the time of crisis in the country, he used to stand with the government, ending the division between the opposition and the ruling party," he said.
He (Atal) always said that there can be political rivalry, but the interest of the country is more important than the interest of the party, Adityanath said.
The CM said public representatives must ensure that every section of society gets the benefit of our schemes without any discrimination, adding that the action plan of the government is for every poor, farmer, youth, woman and downtrodden.
The first phase, construction of Atal residential houses is going on in 18 commissionerates for the downtrodden-deprived and destitute boys and girls. In the new session, all the arrangements are going to be made here for the labourers for state-of-the-art education, he said.
The CM said the government worked for the all-round development of Atal ji's ancestral village Bateshwar.
Adityanath also paid homage to scholar, educationist and politician Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya on his 161st birth anniversary said that his contribution to social and national life was immense.
The chief minister along with other ministers present concluded the event after listening to the prime minister's 'Mann ki Baat'.
Earlier in a tweet, Adityanath said, "Humble tribute to the seeker of politics of values and ideals, fierce orator, excellent poet, former Prime Minister, 'Bharat Ratna' revered Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary."
"Your (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) sage-like life is an inspiration for all nation worshippers," he added.
-With PTI Input
