New Delhi: Every year on September 25, Antyodaya Diwas is observed. Today, people pay tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, a prominent Indian political leader and thinker. Antyodaya Diwas highlights the vision and mission of uplifting the last person in society and it focuses on creating an inclusive India where no one is left behind. In this article, we will look at the life and works of Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Who is Deendayal Upadhyaya?
Born on September 25, 1916, Deendayal Upadhyaya, also known as Panditji, was an Indian politician. He was a proponent of integral humanism ideology and a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS). Notably, the BJS was the forerunner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He started ‘Rashtra Dharma’, a monthly publication in the 1940s to spread the Hindutva ideals. He drafted the official political doctrine of Jan Sangh. He was a proponent of integral humanism and included some cultural-nationalism values. He was aligned with some Gandhian socialist principles like Sarvodaya and Swadeshi.
Born in Mathura District, he lost his parents when he was just eight years old. His maternal uncle brought him up and he was a bright student in school. He completed his BA degree and joined St. John’s College in Agra to pursue a master’s degree in English literature but was unable to finish the course due to some family and financial issues. He appeared in the civil services examination wearing the traditional Indian dhoti-kurta and cap and was hence called Panditji.
Deendayal Upadhyaya and the RSS
Deendayal Upadhyaya came to know about RSS in 1937 and later K. B. Hedgewar, the founder of the RSS. Hedgewar inspired him and he became a full-time worker in the RSS in 1942. He underwent training in Sangh Education in Nagpur and later became a lifelong pracharak of the RSS. He was hailed as the RSS’ ideal swayamsevak because ‘his discourse reflected the pure thought-current of the Sangh’.
He joined the BJS after it was founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951 and he served as its General Secretary in the Uttar Pradesh branch, and later the general secretary of the party on a national level. He was in that role for 15 years. In the 1967 Lok Sabha elections, Jana Sangh got 35 seats and Upadhyaya served as its president in December 1967 in the Calicut session. He passed away on February 11, 1968, and he was reportedly murdered, but the case was never solved.
Born on September 25, 1916, Deendayal Upadhyaya, also known as Panditji, was an Indian politician. He was a proponent of integral humanism ideology and a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
