We will never forget his efforts for national progress and serving the poor, PM Modi said. (File photo)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid homage to Deendayal Upadhyaya, a key ideologue of the ruling BJP, on his 55th death anniversary, saying his vision has inspired the government to work for the marginalised.
An RSS functionary, Deendayal Upadhyaya was among the founding leaders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, which later morphed into the BJP, and was its president when he was killed under mysterious circumstances during a train journey in 1968 in an alleged robbery bid.
PM Modi has credited Upadhyaya's vision of "antyodaya" and "integral humanism" as the inspiration behind his government's welfare thrust.
"I pay homage to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Ji on his Punya Tithi. We will never forget his efforts for national progress and serving the poor. Inspired by his vision, we are working round the clock to ensure the fruits of development reach the marginalised and the downtrodden," the prime minister tweeted.