Lucknow, Aug 16 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee viewed politics as a means of service and always kept national interest above party interests.
Addressing a condolence meeting and literary event at the Pt Atal Bihari Vajpayee Convention Centre here on the eighth death anniversary of the former prime minister, Adityanath said ‘rashtra pratham’ (nation first) was not merely an idea for Vajpayee, but the foundation of his public life, and the leaders across political parties admired him.
Recalling the 1999 Kargil war, Adityanath said Vajpayee had faced questions over whether a “poet-hearted, simple and gentle” leader could fight a war, but his leadership during the conflict proved otherwise.
The chief minister also recalled Vajpayee’s response when the then US president repeatedly urged him to visit America and find a solution to the India-Pakistan conflict.
“I cannot leave India as long as even one enemy remains on Indian soil, within India’s borders,” Adityanath quoted Vajpayee as saying.
He said the world had witnessed Pakistan seeking help from the United States during the Kargil conflict.
Adityanath also highlighted Vajpayee’s role during the 1971 India-Pakistan war and the Emergency, saying he repeatedly placed national interest above political considerations.
He said Vajpayee supported the Bangladesh liberation campaign in 1971 and later merged the Bharatiya Jana Sangh with the Janata Party during the Emergency to help restore democracy.
Referring to Vajpayee’s role as leader of the opposition, Adityanath said on global platforms, he would speak in India’s interest because the issue concerned the country, not the ruling party or opposition.
The chief minister said Vajpayee helped transform the political instability of the 1990s into greater stability and promoted coalition and consensus-based politics.
Adityanath said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared Vajpayee’s birth anniversary, December 25, as Good Governance Day.
He also highlighted initiatives in Uttar Pradesh named after Vajpayee, including the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University in Lucknow and a medical college under construction in Balrampur, which he said was being built on a war footing.
He said the removal of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir under Modi’s leadership fulfilled a dream associated with Vajpayee and Syama Prasad Mukherjee.
Taking a swipe at the Congress over its alleged criticism of the armed forces in connection with Operation Sindoor, Adityanath said the party’s conduct had raised questions about its commitment to national interests.
Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, ministers, lawmakers and office-bearers of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Foundation attended the event. PTI COR CDN AMJ AMJ
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