New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders gathered in the national capital on Friday to offer floral tributes to Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on his birth anniversary, hailing his ideological framework as the bedrock of the party's governance and national development model.
Marking the occasion, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj paid homage to the leader's enduring political legacy, emphasising how his foundational concepts continue to direct the administration's policy decisions.
“He is our guiding light. The philosophy of 'Integral Humanism' and the guiding principle of 'Antyodaya' that he gave serve as the cornerstone for the development policies and diplomacy of PM Modi,” Bansuri Swaraj told ANI.
Swaraj further highlighted what she described as the enduring relevance of Upadhyaya's principles.
“Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ji’s teachings remain as relevant today as they were 110 years ago; let us, therefore, pledge to internalise his wisdom and realise the goal of a 'Viksit Bharat'," she added.
Echoing similar sentiments, Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra underscored Upadhyaya’s pivotal role in shaping the organisational layout and core philosophy of the political movement from its earliest incarnations.
"Today marks the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. He played a pivotal role in shaping the ideology of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, serving as its General Secretary from 1951 to 1968 and later as its President, and subsequently that of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Harsh Malhotra told reporters.
He added, “The philosophy he propounded, known as 'Ekatma Manav Darshan' (Integral Humanism), remains the core ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party today... I believe that Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy is the reason the BJP has become the world's largest political party..."
Expanding on the global and philosophical significance of the leader's teachings, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari drew a parallel to historical figures while addressing the gathering.
"Today is a very significant day for the Bharatiya Janata Party, as it marks the birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Although he was born in the Braj region, like Lord Krishna who hailed from that same region and whose influence spread across the globe, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideas are today being adopted by the entire world. In the times to come, the principles he gave, such as 'Antyodaya' and 'Ekatma Manav Darshan', will prove so impactful that they hold the key to resolving global challenges like terrorism and global warming. Poverty cannot be eradicated until the core spirit of 'Antyodaya' takes root in every nation; at the very heart of this concept lies the vision of Pandit Deendayal,” Manj Tiwari told reporters.
Tiwari further asserted that Upadhyaya's political ideals offer solutions to modern planetary crises.
He added, “That is precisely why PM Modi frequently quotes him and proudly tells the world that all our actions are grounded in the principles demonstrated by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya. Today marks his 110th birth anniversary, an occasion observed by all of us from the National President to every other member present here."
Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya (1916-1968) was a political thinker, economist, and leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He pioneered the magazines Rashtra Dharma, Panchajanya, and the daily Swadesh. Deendayal’s thoughts on Integral Humanism, social justice, and self-reliance continue to shape the BJP's mission.
Born on 25 September 1916, Deendayal Upadhyaya was an Indian politician, proponent of integral humanism ideology and leader of the political party Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Upadhyaya started the monthly publication, Rashtra Dharma, broadly meaning 'National Duty', in the 1940s to spread the ideals of the Hindutva revival. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) thinker and former leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the BJP.
He became president of the Jana Sangh in December 1967. He passed away on February 11, 1968, under mysterious circumstances. His body was found near Mughal Sarai junction, which has been renamed Deendayal Upadhyay junction. Deendayal won a number of prizes and scholarships. While he was a student at Sanatan Dharma College, Kanpur, he joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (R.S.S.).
He raised a band of dedicated workers imbued with idealism and provided the entire ideological framework of the party. The final triumph of his statesmanship and vision was the historic session of the Party in 1967. (ANI)
"Our guiding light": BJP leaders pay tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on birth anniversary
