Bapu’s ‘charkha’ foundation of India’s self-reliance: Yogi

CM pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniv, says the two leaders demonstrated that words carry strength when a person’s conduct and thoughts are in harmony

LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, saying the two leaders demonstrated that words carry strength when a person’s conduct and thoughts are in harmony.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, in Lucknow on Friday. (ANI Photo)

“The entire life of these two great men teaches us that the power of speech comes when there is harmony between a person’s conduct and thoughts,” the CM said while participating in a programme at Khadi Ashram to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 157th birth anniversary.

Adityanath described Mahatma Gandhi’s mantra of Swadeshi and self-reliance as the foundation of a self-reliant and developed India, emphasising that Bapu’s ‘charkha’ was not merely an object but the foundation of India’s self-reliance and self-sufficiency.

“UP’s One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme is working towards making ‘local to global’ by carrying forward the same spirit of Swadeshi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking forward Bapu’s dream of self-reliance with the resolve of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The vision of a developed India will be fulfilled only when the country becomes self-reliant. For this, every citizen, family and village will have to move forward towards self-reliance,” he said.

Adityanath said Gandhi’s campaigns against injustice, exploitation and racial discrimination in South Africa and later his leadership of India’s freedom movement inspired people across the country.

Referring to the Swachh Bharat campaign, he said it had helped realise Gandhi’s vision of cleanliness and also contributed to protecting women’s dignity by providing sanitation facilities.

The CM said Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj could be advanced by making villages centres of self-reliance. He cited the establishment of gram secretariats, through which government services were being provided locally and employment opportunities created.

Adityanath also paid homage to Shastri on his 122nd birth anniversary.

Describing India’s second prime minister as a great freedom fighter and an ardent follower of Gandhi, Adityanath said his life was marked by simplicity, Indian values and commitment to the nation.

He said Shastri’s ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ slogan reflected the twin goals of protecting the country’s borders and achieving food self-reliance.

“While India’s soldiers were defeating the enemy on the borders, the country’s farmers were working in the fields to achieve the goal of food self-reliance,” Adityanath said.

The CM credited Shastri’s call for food self-reliance in 1965 for helping lay the foundation of India’s eventual achievement of self-sufficiency in foodgrains.

25% discount on khadi garments

The chief minister also announced that the state government had provided a 25% discount on khadi garments till January 30, 2027. He appealed to people of the state to make khadi a part of their lives and honour the skills of artisans, handicraft workers and weavers.