Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya on 16 February. He inaugurated the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre in Padao on the Varanasi-Chandauli border. He also launched several projects worth Rs.1,200 crore that includes a 430-bed super specialty government hospital, and a 74-bed psychiatry hospital at Banaras Hindu University, UP. Statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya: As per BJP ideologue, the panchaloha statue is the tallest statue in the country. The statue is 63 feet tall. More than 200 artisans have worked for almost a year in order to complete the structure. About 30 Odisha craftsmen and artists have worked on the project in 2019. The Memorial Centre is spread over nine acres. The Centre has the engravings of the life and times of Deendayal Upadhyaya. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya: Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya was born in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh in 1916. He was an Indian politician. He was an important leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (present Bharatiya Janata Party). He qualified for the civil services examination but did not join the service. He became a life-time volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1942. He has played a larger role in India’s political life.
