Lucknow, April 6 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday honored over 300 senior workers associated with the former Jan Sangh and the party at a function held here on the occasion of its 47th foundation day.
According to a statement issued by the party headquarters, the "Gaurav Samman Samaroh" (Award Ceremony) was organized at the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal (National Shrine) in the state capital, where senior workers were felicitated with saffron shawls, clothing, and literature.
The event was attended by BJP state president and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, state general secretary (organization) Dharampal Singh, and programme convener Neeraj Singh.
On the occasion, party leaders and senior workers also posed for a group photograph in front of statues of Deendayal Upadhyaya, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and Bharat Ratna former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Messages from former Uttar Pradesh BJP presidents, including Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Vinay Katiyar, Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Swatantra Dev Singh, and Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, were also broadcast on an LED screen during the program.
Addressing the gathering, Chaudhary said that the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal was the most appropriate venue to honor senior party workers.
"This place is not just a memorial, but a source of inspiration for millions. It reminds us of Syama Prasad Mookerjee's resolve of 'one nation, one constitution', Deendayal Upadhyaya's philosophy of 'Antyodaya' and 'integral humanism', and Atal Bihari Vajpayee's vision of good governance," he said.
He said that the BJP's journey has not been easy, and recalled that the party, which once began with just two Lok Sabha seats, is now leading a majority government at the Centre for a third consecutive term and has governments or alliances in several states.
Chaudhary described ideologically committed workers as the party's greatest strength and paid tributes to senior workers, calling them "like deities", and urged them to contribute towards making Uttar Pradesh a developed state and India a developed nation.