Rajnath Singh Unveils Portraits Of Vajpayee, Malviya In Delhi Assembly; Calls Duo True Statesmen

New Delhi: Describing former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and educationist Madan Mohan Malaviya as true statesmen, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday recalled their contributions to nation-building while speaking at an event at the Delhi Assembly after unveiling the portraits of the duo.

"Here, in the historic precincts of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, we are celebrating the birth centenary of India's former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During the ceremony, the portraits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya were also unveiled. I pay my heartfelt tribute to these great leaders and bow in respect to their memory," Singh said.

On the occasion, Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta released a coffee table book titled "Bharat Mata", which presents Indian nationalism as expressed through painting, architecture and literature. The publication is dedicated to the creative and artistic expression of India's national consciousness and commemorates 150 years of the composition of the National Song 'Vande Mataram'.

Rajnath Singh along with Delhi CM Gupta and others launch the 'Bharat Mata' coffee table book. (ETV Bharat)

The event was attended by Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta, Legislative Affairs Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma and other dignitaries. The portraits were installed in the Assembly House as a lasting tribute to the monumental contributions of these two national icons to India's democracy, education, culture and public life, said Speaker Gupta.

Addressing the gathering, Singh said the unveiling of the portraits of Vajpayee and Malaviya was a silent reminder of their words and deeds. He called upon people to consider education as a source of furthering national interest, as Malaviya did, and to treat politics as public service, like Vajpayee did.

Vajpayee worked to connect education in independent India with national consciousness. He believed that no one can become great with a petty mindset and ensured that political differences never turned into discord, Singh said.

"Ideals are not merely objects of remembrance, but guiding inspirational forces. That is why, in the tradition of our ideals, along with Ram, Krishna, Buddha and Mahavira, we also include Mahamana Malaviya Ji and the revered Atal Ji, who taught us how to remain humble even while in power and how to serve the nation's interests even while in the Opposition. His life teaches us that the beauty of democracy lies not in differences of opinion, but in the manner of resolving them," Singh said, adding that Vajpayee was a "true successor" of Malaviya's thoughts and deeds.

CM Gupta said Malaviya's personality and ideas were so great that they could be understood through a single incident. Recounting an incident in a book, she said, "When Malaviya was establishing the Banaras Hindu University, he approached the Nizam of Hyderabad for contributions. The Nizam said, as it was a Hindu university, why should he contribute? and gave his worn-out shoes to Malviya, who put them up for auction. When the Nizam learned of this, he was perplexed, thinking that if the pair of shoes doesn't fetch a good price, it will be an insult to him. Even if they fetch a low price, it will still be an insult. So he requested Malviya to return the shoes and take whatever he wished to. After that, the Nizam contributed funds for the establishment of the university. This incident reveals the greatness of Malaviya's personality."

As part of the national observance, artists from Sahitya Kala Parishad also performed a patriotic cultural programme reflecting India’s rich artistic and national heritage.

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