Jaipur, Aug 16 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday described former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as an “Ajatshatru”, who had no enemy and never compromised on his principles.
He said that Vajpayee remained committed to his ideology during his time in the Opposition as well as while in power.
Shah was addressing a public meeting in Chittorgarh’s Nimbahera after unveiling a 21-feet-tall statue of Vajpayee on his death anniversary.
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee remained in the opposition for 40 years, but his thoughts remained of nationalism and nation first, and his life was guided solely by these thoughts. He lived his life according to his principles,” Shah said.
“Vajpayee went to jail, faced lathi charges and endured the atrocities of the Congress, but never compromised on his principles,” he added.
Shah mentioned that when Vajpayee became prime minister, he became the country’s first non-Congress prime minister and took several major decisions.
“Despite global pressure, he made India a nuclear power through the Pokhran tests,” the home minister said, adding that Vajpayee also worked to connect every village with roads.
He said that when Vajpayee became a journalist, he advanced nationalism through his pen; as a poet, he promoted patriotism through his words; and as prime minister, he championed national security and good governance.
He noted that the former prime minister launched the Swarn Chaturbhuj project, expanded the national highway network and introduced several initiatives during his tenure.
Shah also credited Vajpayee with establishing a separate ministry for tribal development, saying there had previously been no dedicated ministry for the welfare of tribal communities.
“The beginning made by Atal ji has been taken to its conclusion by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Shah said, referring to the BJP government’s initiatives for tribal welfare.
He said the election of Droupadi Murmu, who comes from a tribal background, as the President of India was a reflection of the progress made in this regard.
“Neither did he leave his principles while in power nor while in the Opposition. That is why he is known as ‘Ajatshatru’ — a great man who had no enemies,” Shah said.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently championed the cause of tribal welfare.
“He increased the budget for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) Component from a mere Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 1,25,000 crore. He initiated the observance of Bhagwan Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas’. Modi appointed tribal leaders as Chief Ministers in Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.
Shah also highlighted other initiatives taken for tribal welfare.
“When PM Modi launched the ‘Har Ghar Nal Se Jal’ scheme in Rajasthan, water was reaching only 11 lakh households in the state. 11 lakh households were provided water over 70 years, whereas Modi has provided water to 64 lakh households,” he said.
Shah said that the Bhajanlal Sharma government in Rajasthan has worked rapidly towards fulfilling its promises.
“Rajasthan was previously known for water scarcity. Chief Minister Sharma has taken steps to quench the thirst of half the state by signing three major agreements,” he said.
He highlighted that the ‘Rising Rajasthan’ event attracted investments worth Rs 35 lakh crore and led to the formulation of 36 new policies.
Furthermore, he said, 178,000 jobs have been provided through job fairs.
Shah informed that Vajpayee’s 21-foot-tall statue has been installed at a cost of over Rs 1.5 crore. He said that 944 development projects worth Rs 5,755 crore across 15 districts were inaugurated and had their foundation stones laid at the Chittorgarh function today.
Chief Minister Sharma also addressed the programme and highlighted the achievements of the state government. PTI SDA MPL MPL
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