New Delhi [India], October 11 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid homage to Bharat Ranta, and an icon of the anti-emergency movement, Nanaji Deshmukh, remembering his contributions to nation-building through his advocacy for self-reliance and rural empowerment.
“Paying homage to the great Nanaji Deshmukh on his birth anniversary. He was a visionary social reformer, nation builder and lifelong advocate of self-reliance and rural empowerment. His life was an embodiment of dedication, discipline and service to society”, PM Modi posted on X, while also posting a video showing his pictures throughout his life.
In another post, PM Modi remembered Nanaji Deshmukh being deeply inspired by JP Narayan, the one who led the anti-emergency movement and called for ‘sampoorn kranti’ (total revolution).
Meanwhile, the press statement by the party in 1978 read, “India’s political leadership must now wholeheartedly accept that in the past 30 years, it has made no concrete efforts to channel the energies of the young generation into constructive directions. We must also acknowledge that the young generation, along with the personality of Loknayak Jayaprakash, played the greatest role in hoisting the flag of democracy in the struggle against the Emergency dictatorship.”
While sharing a press statement released by Deshmukh while being General Secretary of the Janata Party, PM Modi wrote, “Nanaji Deshmukh was deeply inspired by Loknayak JP. His reverence to JP and his vision for youth development, service and nation building can be seen in this message he shared when he was the Mahamantri of the Janata Party.”
Born on October 11, 1916, in the small town of Hingoli in Maharashtra, Deshmukh represented Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur constituency in the Lok Sabha from 1977 to 1979. From 1999 to 2005, he also served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.
One of the founding members of Bharatiya Jan Sangh, precursor of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Deshmukh established a chain of RSS-inspired schools throughout India. He was associated with the RSS till his death at the age of 94 in 2010.
When the Janata Party government was formed in 1977, Nanaji was requested to join the government as a minister, but he did not do so. Nanaji followed Jaiprakash Narayan and preferred to devote himself to rural development and making villages self-reliant, free from poverty.
After quitting politics in 1980, Nanaji, through the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI), set up alternative rural development models based on traditional knowledge in the remote areas of Gonda and Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, respectively. Some were established in Maharashtra’s Beed, too.
In 2019, Nanaji was awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’ posthumously. His contributions in the field of rural development and social transformation were carried forward by the DRI, which has now expanded its work to many more states.
The veteran also played a key role in the Jai Prakash (JP) movement against the Emergency in 1974 and was instrumental in the formation of the Janata Party government in 1977. (ANI)
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