Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Sangh Parivar veteran and former Rajya Sabha member, Nanaji Deshmukh on his 101st anniversary. “Remembering Nanaji Deshmukh on his birth anniversary. We are constantly motivated by his noble service and emphasis on rural development,” PM Modi said in tweet and shared a video on his life as well.
Born on October 11, 1916, in Maharashtra’s Kadoli town, Deshmukh was founder member of the Janata Party and one of the senior-most members of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Remembering Nanaji Deshmukh on his birth anniversary. We are constantly motivated by his noble service & emphasis on rural development. pic.twitter.com/IuzBvOaoBV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 11, 2017
He also actively participated in the Bhoodan Movement launched by Acharya Vinoba Bhave. Nanajee was one of the major forces behind Jayaprakash Narayan’s agitation for total revolution. On November 4, 1974 when JP led a massive demonstration in Patna to protest oppression by Indira’s Congress, the police made lathi charge in which the legendary leader was the target.
Though heavy blows landed on Jayaprakash Narayan’s collar bones, elbows and legs and made him senseless, Nanajee, then a Jan Sangh leader sprang to his leader’s protection, covered him taking down most of the blows aimed at JP. Jayaprakash Narayan later recalled the incident saying, “if Nanaji Deshmukh had not physically intervened, receiving” the blow “aimed at me, I would have been a dead man.” It’s not just a co-incidence both share a common birthday.
After declaration of emergency in 1975, Nanajee was lodged in Jail for nearly 17 months. In 1977 when the emergency was revoked, Nanajee contested from Balrampur Lok Sabha seat and won with a comfortable margin.
The Sangh veteran is also remebered for his pioneering work towards the anti-poverty and rural self-reliance.
As a social activist, he played a key role in carrying out social restructuring programme in over 500 villages of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. He also established the country’s first Saraswati Sishu Mandir at Gorakhpur in 1950 and was the founder of Deendayal Research Institute situated at Chitrakoot.
Nanaji also established Chitrakoot Gramodya Vishwavidyalaya, India’s first rural university and also served as its first Chancellor. For his exemplary social work, government of India honoured the verteran with the Padma Vibhushan. He was nominated to Rajya Sabha by the NDA Government in the year 1999. He breathed his last on February 27, 2010 in Chitrakoot, at the age of 93. After his death, his body was donated to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), as per his wishes.
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