LAKHIMPUR KHERI Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday underscored that while differences of opinion are natural in a democracy, every disagreement must be met with mutual respect — a core teaching of 15th-century poet and social reformer Saint Kabir Das.
In his 17-minute address, the Speaker emphasised Kabir’s call for self-introspection.
“A person in society is not remembered for his post or designation, but by his deeds and contribution to society,” Birla said speaking at the 60th birth anniversary celebrations of Sant Asang Dev Ji Maharaj at the Kabirdham Ashram here. UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and cabinet minister Swatantra Dev Singh lauded the “double-engine” leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, crediting them with transforming the state’s law and order and ensuring inclusive, non-discriminatory development.
UP water resources minister Swatantra Dev Singh highlighted the improvement in women’s safety and public security across the state. UP excise minister Nitin Agrawal, district BJP president Arvind Gupta, BJP MLAs Aman Giri, Yogesh Verma, Vinod Shankar Awasthi, Romi Sahni and other party workers and leaders were present on the occasion. Lauding the PM’s leadership, Maurya said Narendra Modi had set a vision for a developed India by 2047 commensurate to 100 years of independence.
“Before 2017, criminals did not fear the police; rather the police were forced to fear criminals because criminal elements had patronage within the government,” Maurya claimed. He added unlike the past, the Yogi-led BJP government in UP ensured that the benefits of welfare schemes reached even the marginalized sections transparently and this reflected the teachings of Saint Kabir Das by practicing “sabka saath, sabka vikas” without any caste discrimination. “If a mother and daughter can step out safely from a village at midnight to travel to Ayodhya, Kashi, or Haridwar, it is entirely due to the effective governance of chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” he said.
