Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, along with a host of union ministers and other leaders, on Friday paid
homage to former Rashtriya Jana Sangh leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay on the occasion of
his 104th birth anniversary.

“The
contribution of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya ji to make India better as a
country and society has inspired generations. The path he has shown to every
BJP worker instils confidence in us,” PM Modi said as he was virtually
addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers across India. 

Union Home
Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyayji, a pioneer of Indian
politics, a man of multifaceted personality and a founding member of the Jana
Sangh, fought throughout his life to protect and preserve Indian culture and
values. With the ideas of Integral Humanism and Antyodaya, he worked to give a
progressive ideology to the country.”

Referring
to the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, Shah said, “As an
outstanding organiser, Deen Dayal Ji, who laid the foundation of alternative
politics, is today working to bring the poor, deprived and exploited sections
of the country into the mainstream of development. His life is a unique example
of social harmony and patriotism. A tribute to him on the birth anniversary of
such a great patriot.”

Here is a look at how other leaders paid their tribute to the former Jana Sangh leader:

Deen Dayal Upadhyay was born on September 25, 1916. He was a Rashtirya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) thinker and a leader of the erstwhile Jana Sangh, predecessor of the BJP. He became president of the Jana Sangh in December 1967.