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18 Atal residential schools for labourers’ kids from next year: U.P. CM
U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath made the announcement while paying tribute to ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his death anniversary at a function in Lucknow
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced that 18 Atal residential schools for labourers’ kids would offer admissions from the next academic session across the state.
He made the announcement on the occasion of the former PM’s fourth death anniversary at a function organised by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Trust headed by deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak.
“We are in the process of setting up 18 residential schools named after revered Atal ji where admissions for children of labourers and destitute kids would start from the next academic session. These schools, imparting top quality education to those kids who have none to look after them, are our tribute to the leader who always engaged in principled politics and had admirers across political parties,” Yogi said at the function where 10 people, who had worked closely with Vajpayee, were felicitated.
The CM said his government has also set up a medical university in Vajpayee’s memory and described Vajpayee as a “towering leader of India’s parliamentary democracy who shined bright for over six decades”.
Yogi said drawing inspiration from “Atal ji”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has continued to build on the path of inclusive development and did not shy away from taking decisions that were important for the country.
“Decisions like scrapping of (Article) 370, Ayodhya temple and the country’s first woman President from the tribal community reflect BJP’s resolve to ensure outreach till the last person,” he added.
“Atal ji’s ancestors had migrated to M.P. but the charismatic leader chose U.P. as his karmabhoomi, first as a journalist and later as a towering political leader who represented Lucknow for a record five consecutive terms in the Lok Sabha,” the CM said.
Vajpayee served thrice as PM, including a full five-year term, becoming the first non-Congress PM to have done so and Adityanath recalled how Vajpayee after leading the BJP from a dismal two seats to power, had stated, “politics, should never become an instrument to only attain power but to uphold values and ideals.”
“He was a journalist, writer, poet, a mass leader who possessed the ability to lead in any circumstances and how to evolve a consensus on contentious issues. He was a leader who had admirers across political parties and even his poetry carried so much meaning and is relevant even today,” he added.
The post of general secretary (organisation) in the BJP is reserved for an RSS pracharak who acts a bridge between the party and the Sangh. However, as national general secretary, Bansal is now fully into the BJP and thus his visit to Lucknow this time was undertaken as BJP leader, party leaders said.
Deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak both showered praise on Bansal, hailing him as the backroom architect of the party’s phenomenal wins in U.P. “I have been a U.P. BJP chief too and though the party chief gets accolades on win, it is Bansal who has been the architect of party’s phenomenal “shunya se shikhar (from zero to top)” performance in U.P.,” Maurya said.
Bansal was welcomed with a warm applause when Brajesh Pathak thanked him for taking out time for his first Lucknow visit post his new responsibility and at “such short notice”.
At the Lucknow event, actor Arun Govil, who had essayed the role of Lord Ram in the superhit television serial ‘Ramayana’, was also present. He recited dialogues from his epic character, drawing applause from not just the audience but leaders, including CM, too.
