Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha on Wednesday said that to take the country to the peak of development, everyone must follow the philosophy and ideology of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

“Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay was a staunch statesman and the founder of integral humanism. The approach that should be adopted for development and public welfare in post-independence India is repeatedly emerging in Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay's life philosophy and literary works. To take the country to the peak of development, everyone must follow the philosophy and thinking of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay,” he said.

Dr. Saha said this while addressing the state-level Birth Anniversary celebration of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay at Rabindra Bhavan on Wednesday, organized by the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also emphasized that the tradition of Indian civilization is rooted in democracy and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay believed that it is not possible to take the country forward by adopting foreign philosophies.

“The previous central and state governments never took the initiative to spread the life philosophy and work methods of these great men among the common people of the country. However, PM Narendra Modi has promised to lead the country on the path shown by them since assuming office as Prime Minister. As a result, numerous public welfare-oriented projects are being implemented for the benefit of marginalized and backward sections of society,” he said.

At the event, the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Solidarity Award was posthumously awarded to Brajesh Chakraborty.

The Chief Minister and other guests presented the award to his family member Gayatri Chakraborty for his special contribution to social work and public relations. The award included Rs. 1 lakh and a shawl as a prize.

Winners of the college-level essay competition on Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay were also honored. Sneha Saha, a student of Sachin Debbarman Music College, Debatri Nandi, a student of Women's College, and Mujibur Rahman, a student of Ramthakur College, secured the first, second, and third places respectively in the essay competition.

Dr Anirban Ganguly, chairman of the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Research Foundation, Secretary of the Department of ICA PK Chakraborty, Vice Chairman of the State Cultural Advisory Committee Subrata Chakraborty, Director of ICA Bimbisar Bhattacharya, and others were also present at the occasion.

On this day Dr Saha in another program also paid tribute to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee at BJP Pradesh Party officer.