PM Modi to unveil 72-feet statue of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya in national capital

In 2020, PM Modi inaugurated a 63-foot statue of Upadhyay in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a 72-feet statue of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, the co-founder of BJP’s predecessor Bharatiya Jana Sangh, in New Delhi on September 25.

The brass statue will be erected at a park named after the leader opposite BJP headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg in Delhi. Upadhyaya will be depicted in his traditional attire- kurta, dhoti, and a sleeveless jacket. September 25 is also the birth anniversary of Upadhyaya who had drafted the Jan Sangh’s political doctrine. According to News18, artisans have been working on this statue for several months.

Security was beefed up at the park over the weekend with a last-minute beautification drive on. The Prime Minister is likely to unveil the statue at 7pm.

In 2020, PM Modi inaugurated a 63-foot statue of Upadhyay in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency. The 63-feet ‘pancha loha’ statue of Deen Dayal Upadhyay in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. The ‘pancha loha’ statue was so far the tallest statue of the BJP ideologue in the country.

Over 200 artisans had worked for almost a year to complete the statue in Varanasi and around 30 Odisha craftsmen and artists had worked on the project.

Born in 1916 in Mathura, Upadhyaya was not only an RSS functionary but one of the founding members of the Jan Sangh. He had launched Panchjanya in 1948 which continues to be the Sangh mouthpiece even now.

Upadhyaya's philosophy of "integral humanism" and "antyodaya" (uplifting the most deprived) has been frequently cited by Modi as a guiding principle for his government's welfare initiatives. In internal party meetings, leaders such as Amit Shah and JP Nadda have also invoked Upadhyaya's remarkable journey from a foot soldier to the party president.