Modi pays tribute to JP Narayan, Nanaji Deshmukh on their birth anniversary

[ October 11, 2015 12:42:00 ] Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that anti-Emergency movement had strengthened Indian democracy.

Elections were held in the shadow of fear. “It was a leadership committed to live and die for the nation”.

Party president Amit Shah will attend the birth anniversary programme at JP Narayan’s birth place Sitabdiyara.

“Emergency was a black period in Indian democracy and the next generation should know what it is, why it was imposed, how it was imposed, what were its effects and side effects and how people taught a lesson to those who imposed it”, he said. “But voters sent home many bigwigs by employing the mighly tool of democracy”, he said. He was not restricted to one thought or ideology. “Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan was at the forefront of defending civil liberties and democracy”. “He lived for the truth and what he felt was right”, he added. Modi also lauded Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal calling him India’s Nelson Mandela for he had been jailed in free India for almost two decades due to political reasons.

Modi’s comments on Jayaprakash Narayan came a day ahead of the first phase of polling in the Bihar assembly elections.

Modi also praised Lal Krishna Advani, who was also present at the occasion.

Others to be honoured are former Governor Bhai Mahaveer, NCP leader D P Tripathy, senior BJP leaders Karia Munda, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, former Union Minister Jayawantiben Mehta, journalists Virendra Kapoor, Rambahadur Rai and Kotamraju Vikram Rao, Gandhian professor Ramji Singh, Eswar das Mahajan and Kameshwar Paswan. “JP was an institution, he was a light house and a role model”, Badal said.