Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 25: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the “Rashtra Prerana Sthal” in the Uttar Pradesh capital city of Lucknow with statues of three top BJP leaders and paid them floral tributes on the occasion of 101st birth anniversary of the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Besides the statue of Vajpayee, the statues of the founder of Jana Sangh, the precursor of BJP, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya also adored the Prerana Sthal. Each of the statues are 65 feet tall and each statue weighs 42 tonnes. The Prerana Sthal has been developed over 65 acres of land at a cost of ₹230 crore. Its construction began in 2022.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi attacked the Congress claiming that earlier “only the statues of one family were installed; today, every great personality is being honoured. Earlier, only the glory of one family was celebrated. The BJP has given respect to the contributions of everyone.”
Modi also said today the statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose stands on Delhi’s Kartavya Path. In the Andamans, where Netaji had hoisted the tricolour, there is his statue. No one can forget that an attempt was made to erase Ambedkar’s legacy. The royal family of Delhi tried to erase it. The Samajwadi Party also did this here, but the BJP did not allow it to be erased.
Mr Modi also said the BJP was proud that its government got the opportunity to “tear down the wall of Article 370.” He added that the legacy of good governance created by the BJP-led NDA government was now being taken to new heights at both the Centre and state levels. “We must not forget how after Independence, a tendency developed to attribute every positive achievement to a single family,” he said.
Mr Modi further pointed out that since the year 2000, under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, nearly 8 lakh kilometres of rural roads have been built, of which about 4 lakh kilometres were constructed in the last 10–11 years. He noted that today expressways are being built at unprecedented speed across the country, and Uttar Pradesh is establishing its identity as an expressway state. The Prime Minister further highlighted that it was Atal ji who initiated the Delhi Metro, and today metro networks in more than 20 cities across the country are making life easier for millions of people. He remarked that the legacy of good governance created by their government is now being expanded and given new dimensions by their governments at the Centre and in the states.
Highlighting that the inspiration of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with their visionary work and grand statues, form a strong foundation for a developed India, Mr Modi remarked that these statues today were filling the nation with new energy. He emphasized that it must not be forgotten how, after independence, there emerged a tendency to link every good work in India to a single family—whether books, government schemes, institutions, streets, or squares, all were associated with the glorification of one family, their names, and their statues. He stated that their party has freed the country from this old practice of being held hostage to one family. The Prime Minister underlined that his government was honouring every immortal child of Mother India and every contribution made in service of the nation. He gave examples, noting that today the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stands proudly at Kartavya Path in Delhi, and the island in Andaman where Netaji hoisted the tricolour has now been named after him.
Underlining that family-based politics has a distinct identity, filled with insecurity, Mr Modi said this compels such leaders to diminish others in order to make their own family appear larger and keep their influence intact. The Prime Minister stressed that this mindset introduced political untouchability in India. He pointed out that although many Prime Ministers served independent India, the museum in Delhi ignored several of them. He emphasized that it was their government that corrected this situation, and today when one visits Delhi, the grand Prime Ministers’ Museum welcomes them, where every Prime Minister of independent India, regardless of how short their tenure was, has been given due respect and rightful place.
The Prime Minister remarked that the Opposition and its allies always kept their party politically untouchable, but the values of their party teach respect for all. He highlighted that in the past 11 years, during their government, Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee were conferred the Bharat Ratna. The Prime Minister emphasized that it was his government which honoured leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Tarun Gogoi with national awards, something that could never be expected from opposition and their allies, under whose rule leaders from other parties only faced insult.