India, Dec. 25 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
Bharat Mata ki - Jai!
Bharat Mata ki - Jai!
Bharat Mata ki - Jai!
The Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel; the popular Chief Minister of this state, Yogi Adityanath ji; my senior colleague in the Union Cabinet and Member of Parliament from Lucknow, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh ji; the President of the BJP in UP and my colleague in the Council of Ministers at the Centre, Shri Pankaj Chaudhary ji; the Deputy Chief Ministers of the state government, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak ji; other ministers present here, public representatives, ladies and gentlemen,
Today, this land of Lucknow is witnessing a new source of inspiration. Before speaking about it in detail, I extend my Christmas greetings to the people of the country and the world. Today, crores of Christian families are celebrating in Bharat too. May this festival of Christmas bring happiness into everyone's lives! This is our wish.
Friends,
This day of 25th December also brings with it the rare and wonderful coincidence of the birth anniversaries of two great sons of the nation -- Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and Bharat Ratna Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya ji. Both these great personalities safeguarded Bharat's identity, unity, and pride, and left an indelible mark on nation-building.
Friends,
Today, 25th December, also marks the birth anniversary of Maharaja Bijli Pasi. The famous Bijli Pasi Fort of Lucknow is not very far from here. The legacy of valour, good governance, and inclusiveness left behind by Maharaja Bijli Pasi has been carried forward with pride by the Pasi community. It is also a coincidence that it was Atal ji himself who issued a postage stamp in honour of Maharaja Bijli Pasi in 2000.
Friends,
On this sacred day, I bow with reverence to Mahamana Malaviya ji, Atal ji, and Maharaja Bijli Pasi, and offer them my heartfelt homage.
Friends,
A short while ago, I had the privilege of inaugurating the Rashtra Prerna Sthal here. This Rashtra Prerna Sthal is a symbol of the ideals that have shown Bharat the path of self-respect, unity, and service. The towering statues of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ji, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji are lofty in height, but the inspiration they impart is even greater. Atal ji once wrote:
नीरवता से मुखरित मधुबन, परहित अर्पित अपना तन-मन, जीवन को शत-शत आहुति में, जलना होगा, गलना होगा। क़दम मिलाकर चलना होगा।
(From silence, the garden speaks;
For the welfare of others, one must dedicate body and soul.
In life's countless offerings,
One must burn, one must melt.
We must walk in step together.)
This Rashtra Prerna Sthal conveys the message that every step we take, every effort we make, must be dedicated to nation-building. It is the collective effort of all that will fulfil the resolve of a 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India). I congratulate Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and the entire nation on this modern centre of inspiration. As it was just mentioned and also shown in the video, the land on which this Prerna Sthal has been built, which is more than 30 acres, had been a mountain of garbage for several decades. Over the past three years, it has been completely cleared. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the workers, artisans, planners associated with this project, as well as to Yogi ji and his entire team.
Friends,
Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee played a decisive role in giving direction to the nation. It was Dr. Mookerjee who rejected the system of two constitutions, two flags, and two prime ministers in Bharat. Even after independence, this arrangement in Jammu and Kashmir posed a major challenge to Bharat's unity and integrity. The BJP takes pride in the fact that our government got the opportunity to demolish the wall of Article 370. Today, the Constitution of Bharat is fully implemented in Jammu and Kashmir as well.
Friends,
As independent Bharat's first Industry Minister, Dr. Mookerjee laid the foundation of economic self-reliance in the country. He gave the nation its first industrial policy thus laying the groundwork for industrialization in Bharat. Today, we are taking that very mantra of self-reliance to new heights. Made in India products are now reaching markets across the world. Look at Uttar Pradesh itself! On one hand, a massive One District, One Product campaign is strengthening small industries and units; on the other hand, a major Defence Corridor is being developed in the state. The power of the BrahMos missile that the world witnessed during Operation Sindoor is now being manufactured in Lucknow. The day is not far when Uttar Pradesh's Defence Corridor will be known worldwide for defence manufacturing.
Friends,
Decades ago, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ji envisioned the dream of Antyodaya. He believed that the true measure of Bharat's progress would be reflected in the smile on the face of the person standing at the very end of the line. Deendayal ji also articulated the philosophy of Integral Humanism, which envisages the holistic development of the body, mind, intellect, and soul. Modi has made Deendayal ji's dream his own resolve. We have expanded Antyodaya through the new approach of saturation, that is, ensuring that every needy person and every beneficiary is brought within the ambit of government welfare schemes. When there is a spirit of saturation, there is no discrimination and that is true good governance, true social justice, and true secularism. Today, when crores of citizens are receiving permanent houses, toilets, tap water, electricity, and gas connections for the first time without discrimination; when crores of people are receiving free food grains and free medical treatment for the first time; and when efforts are being made to reach the last person standing in the line then justice is truly being done to the vision of Pandit Deendayal ji.
Friends,
Over the past decade, crores of Indians have defeated poverty and risen above it. This has been possible because the BJP government prioritized those who were left behind and gave precedence to those at the very end of the line.
Friends,
Before 2014, about 25 crore citizens were covered under the government's social security schemes. Only 25 crore people! Today, nearly 95 crore Indians are covered under this protective umbrella. In Uttar Pradesh too, a large number of people have benefited from it. Let me give you another example. Just as bank accounts were once limited to a few people, insurance too was confined to the well-off. Our government took up the responsibility of extending insurance security to the last person. For this, the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana was launched, providing life insurance coverage of two lakh rupees at a nominal premium. Today, more than 25 crore poor citizens are connected to this scheme. Similarly, the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana is being implemented for accident insurance, and around 55 crore poor citizens are covered under it. These are the very citizens who earlier could not even think about insurance.
Friends,
You may be surprised to know that through these schemes, claims amounting to nearly 25,000 crore rupees have been paid, benefiting ordinary poor families who live modest lives. In other words, this money has come to the aid of poor families in times of crisis.
Friends,
Atal ji's birth anniversary today is also a day to celebrate good governance. For a long time, slogans like "Garibi Hatao" were considered governance in this country. But Atal ji truly brought good governance down to the ground, in real terms. Today, there is so much discussion about digital identity. Its foundation was laid by Atal ji's government itself. The work that began then on a special card has today become globally renowned as Aadhaar. The credit for accelerating the telecom revolution in Bharat also goes to Atal ji. The telecom policy framed by his government made it easier to take telephones and the internet to every household, and today Bharat is among the countries with the largest number of mobile and internet users in the world.
Friends,
Wherever Atal ji may be today, he would be pleased to know that Bharat has become the world's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer over the past 11 years. And Uttar Pradesh from where he was a Member of Parliament is today Bharat's number one mobile manufacturing state.
Friends,
Atal ji's vision on connectivity gave early strength to 21st-century Bharat. It was during his government that the campaign to connect villages with roads was launched. It was also then that work began on the Golden Quadrilateral which is the expansion of highways.
Friends,
Since the year 2000, about 800,000 kilometres of roads have been built in villages so far under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. Of these, nearly 400,000 kilometres of rural roads have been constructed in the last 10-11 years alone.
And friends,
Today, you can see for yourselves how rapidly expressways are being built across the country at an unprecedented pace. Uttar Pradesh, too, is establishing its identity as an expressway state. It was Atal ji who initiated the Delhi Metro. Today, metro networks in more than 20 cities of the country are making the lives of millions of people easier. The legacy of good governance created by the BJP-NDA government is now being taken to new heights and new dimensions by BJP governments at the Centre and in the states.
Friends,
The inspiration drawn from these three great men-Dr. Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal ji, and Atal ji-their visionary work, and these towering statues together form a very strong foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat'. Today, these statues are filling us with renewed energy. But we must not forget how a tendency developed in Bharat after Independence to attribute every good work to a single family. Whether it was books, government schemes, government institutions, lanes, roads, or public squares, everything became an exercise in glorifying one family: the names, the statues, everything revolved around them. The BJP has freed the nation from this old tendency of being held captive by a single family. Our government is honouring the contribution of every immortal son and daughter who served Maa Bharati. Let me give you a few examples. Today, a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stands on Kartavya Path in Delhi. The island in the Andamans where Netaji hoisted the Tricolour now bears his name.
Friends,
No one can forget how attempts were made to erase the legacy of Babasaheb Ambedkar. In Delhi, the Congress's ruling family committed this grave wrongdoing, and here in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party dared to do the same. But the BJP did not allow Babasaheb's legacy to be erased. Today, from Delhi to London, Babasaheb Ambedkar's Panch Teerth are proclaiming and celebrating his legacy.
Friends,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel unified our country, which had been fragmented into hundreds of princely states. Yet after Independence, attempts were made to diminish both his work and his stature. It is the BJP that gave Sardar Sahib the respect and honour he truly deserved. The BJP built the world's tallest statue in his honour and developed an inspirational site known as Ekta Nagar. Now, the nation observes the main celebration of National Unity Day there every year on 31st October.
Friends,
For decades, the contributions of tribal communities were also not given their rightful place. It is our government that built a grand memorial for Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Just a few weeks ago, the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Tribal Museum was inaugurated in Chhattisgarh.
Friends,
There are many such examples across the country. Even here in Uttar Pradesh, take the case of Maharaja Suheldev. The memorial dedicated to him was built only after a BJP government came to power. Here, the meeting place of Nishadraj and Lord Shri Ram has finally received the honour and recognition it deserves. From Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh to the martyrs of Chauri Chaura, it is the BJP government that has remembered the contributions of these sons of Maa Bharati with full reverence and humility.
Friends,
Politics driven by dynasticism has a distinct character: it is rooted in insecurity. That is why, for dynastic politicians, diminishing others becomes a compulsion, so that their own family appears larger and their enterprise continues to run. This mindset gave rise to political untouchability in Bharat. Just think, there have been many Prime Ministers in independent Bharat, yet in the capital Delhi, the museum that existed ignored several former Prime Ministers. It is the BJP and the NDA that have changed this situation. Today, when you go to Delhi, the grand Prime Ministers' Museum welcomes you, where every Prime Minister of independent Bharat, regardless of how short their tenure may have been, has been given due respect and space.
Friends,
The Congress and its allies always kept the BJP politically "untouchable." But BJP's values teach us to respect everyone. Over the past 11 years of BJP and NDA governance, Bharat Ratna has been conferred upon Narasimha Rao ji and Pranab Babu. It is our government that has honoured many leaders, including Mulayam Singh Yadav ji and Tarun Gogoi ji, with national awards. One cannot expect such gestures from the Congress or from the Samajwadi Party. During their rule, BJP leaders received nothing but humiliation.
Friends,
Uttar Pradesh is benefiting greatly from the BJP's double-engine government. Uttar Pradesh is carving out a distinct identity for itself in 21st-century Bharat. It is my good fortune that I am a Member of Parliament from UP. Today, I can say with great pride that the hardworking people of Uttar Pradesh are writing a new future. There was a time when UP was discussed only in terms of poor law and order; today, UP is discussed for its development. Today, UP is rapidly emerging on the country's tourism map. The grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya and the Kashi Vishwanath Dham have become symbols of UP's new global identity. And modern developments like the Rashtra Prerna Sthal are further illuminating the state's new image.
Friends,
With the hope that our Uttar Pradesh reaches even greater heights as a model of good governance, prosperity, and true social justice, I once again congratulate all of you on the Rashtra Prerna Sthal. I will say: Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee and you will respond by saying Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe. I will say: Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya ji and you will respond Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe. I will say: Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji and you will respond, Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Pandit Deendayal ji -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Pandit Deendayal ji -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Pandit Deendayal ji -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji -- Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe.
Bharat Mata ki - Jai!
Vande Mataram!
Vande Mataram!
Thank you very much.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
