Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday paid rich tributes to former chief minister Kalyan Singh, praising the BJP stalwart as a strong leader who made sacrifices and always discharged his duties with full honesty and dedication.
Adityanath was addressing a gathering at Atrauli town in Aligarh district of western Uttar Pradesh to mark the “terahvin” (13th day rituals) of Singh who died in Lucknow on August 21 at the age of 89 years after a prolonged illness.
Singh, who headed the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in UP, was also a former governor of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
Adityanath announced that a statue of Kalyan Singh will be installed at the Super Specialty Cancer Institute in Lucknow and reiterated that the institute would be named after Singh in addition to an upcoming state medical college in Bulandshahr.
He also said Kalyan Singh displayed devotion and made sacrifices to realise the dreams of thousands of years, adding that he was in the frontline of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
“He resigned from his post in 1992 after the demolition of the disputed structure (Babri Mosque) and took moral responsibility so that no action was initiated against any government official. While making Uttar Pradesh fear-free and a corruption-free state, Babuji (Kalyan Singh) never hesitated to send the message home that he was a strong leader,” Yogi Adityanath said.
{{/usCountry}}“He resigned from his post in 1992 after the demolition of the disputed structure (Babri Mosque) and took moral responsibility so that no action was initiated against any government official. While making Uttar Pradesh fear-free and a corruption-free state, Babuji (Kalyan Singh) never hesitated to send the message home that he was a strong leader,” Yogi Adityanath said.
{{/usCountry}}Kalyan Singh was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the Babri Mosque was demolished by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.
The 13th day ritual was organised at KMV Inter College ground in Atrauli tehsil where Kalyan Singh’s ancestral village Madholi is located.
Rajasthan governor Kalraj Mishra, Uttarakhand governor Baby Rani Maurya and Uttar Pradesh deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma also attended the ceremony.
“Babuji fulfilled the pledge he had taken to dedicate himself to the society and the country. And, whenever he got responsibilities, be it from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Bharatiya Jan Sangh or the Bharatiya Janata Party, he discharged them with full commitment, honesty, dedication and firmness,” Yogi Adityanath said.
“He will always remain in our memories. He will be known for his strong conviction as administrator and left his mark both as health minister and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and then as governor of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh,” he added.
“His popularity among his supporters can be judged by their huge turnout at his demise,” the chief minister said.
Kalyan Singh’s son Rajveer Singh, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Etah in western Uttar Pradesh, and grandson Sandeep Singh, who is a minister of state in UP and MLA from Atrauli in Aligarh district, were also present.
PTI adds: The main rituals were held under a decorated waterproof pandal (tent) to protect against rain. It also provided shelter to about 1,400 cooks called in to prepare meals for those attending the ceremony. Security personnel were posted all along the road from the air strip to the main site.
Kalyan Singh’s mortal remains were consigned to flames at Bansi Ghat on the banks of the Ganga in Narora town of Bulandshahr district in western Uttar Pradesh on August 23.