Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow, saying that the national memorial complex symbolises a vision that has guided India towards self-respect, unity and service.
During the inauguration of the complex, marking the 101st birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi launched a scathing attack on the Opposition Congress and the Samajwadi Party for trying to “demolish” Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy, even as he said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took pride in having the opportunity to “tear down the wall of Article 370”.
Constructed at a cost of ₹230 crore and spread across an area of 65 acres, the Rashtra Prerna Sthal features 65-feet-high bronze statues of Vajpayee and BJP ideologues Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Addressing a gathering during the inauguration, the PM said, “This centre of national inspiration represents the vision that has guided India on the path of self-respect, unity and service. Rashtra Prerna Sthal gives us the message that every step, every stride, every effort of ours should be dedicated to nation building.”
Speaking about the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, Modi said, “The BJP is proud that our government got the opportunity to demolish the wall of Article 370. Today, the Constitution of India is fully applicable in Jammu and Kashmir as well.”
{{/usCountry}}Speaking about the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, Modi said, “The BJP is proud that our government got the opportunity to demolish the wall of Article 370. Today, the Constitution of India is fully applicable in Jammu and Kashmir as well.”
{{/usCountry}}Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh after Parliament on August 5, 2019 passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill and read down Article 370 and 35 (A) that gave the erstwhile state special powers to determine issues of domicile.
Highlighting that the inspiration of Mookerjee, Upadhyaya, and Vajpayee, along with their visionary work and grand statues, form a strong foundation for a developed India, Modi remarked that their statues at the Rashtra Prerna Sthal are “filling the nation with new energy”.
“But we must not forget that, after Independence, a tendency to link every good work done in India with one family developed,” he said in an apparent attack on the Congress. “Be it books, government schemes, government institutions, streets, streets, crossroads, glorifying one family, names of one family, statues, all these things continued. The BJP has also pulled the country out of this old trend of holding one family hostage.”
The PM said that the Congress tried to demolish Ambedkar’s legacy. “In Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party also did the same,” he added.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel also attended the inauguration of the memorial complex.
On the occasion, Singh said that PM Modi is realising India’s vision envisaged by Mookerjee, Upadhyaya, Vajpayee. Referring to the last 10 years, the defence minister said the country has made steady progress under Modi’s leadership, guided by the principle of remembering great national figures, taking pride in India’s heritage and ensuring their honour and preservation.
UP CM Adityanath hailed Modi as the “saarthi (charioteer) of Amrit Kaal”, saying: “The legacy of three great leaders –– Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee –– who gave India a new direction, is being carried forward in the form of a self-reliant and developed nation.”
Reacting to the PM’s attack, SP national spokesperson Abbas Haider said the party has been fighting to save the legacy of Ambedkar. “The biggest legacy of Babasaheb is the Constitution given by him, our PM comes from the ideology which has always been against it,” he said. “BJP leaders have repeatedly said that they would change the Constitution.”
The Congress also termed the allegations “baseless”. “Such a statement can’t be justified by any means, it’s unwarranted. The Prime Minister has made a baseless point in his speech,” UP Congress chief Ajay Rai said.
With inputs from agencies.