Gorakhpur,

02 Oct (HS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid tribute to

Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth

anniversaries on Thursday, stating that the double-engine administration is

realizing their aspirations via swadeshi, self-reliance, and cleanliness

programs. He offered floral tributes to images of Gandhi and Shastri at his home

at Gorakhnath Temple here. Adityanath stated that the nation's father

demonstrated to the world the power of truth and non-violence. He emphasized

that swadeshi was vital to Gandhi's ideas, and that under Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's leadership, India had transformed swadeshi into a worldwide

model. According to him, the One District One Product (ODOP) program has helped

the state achieve significant progress in defense industry, including the

production of BrahMos missiles, AK rifles, and pistols.

The

chief minister stated that he has directed that swadeshi melas be held in every

district before Diwali to promote local products, and that khadi purchases will

be discounted by 25%. In

response to Gandhi's vision of cleanliness, Adityanath stated that the prime

minister's Swachh Bharat Mission has given a new dimension to sanitation,

resulting in the building of 12 crore toilets across the country, restoring

women's dignity and helping to reduce sickness. Today,

cleanliness has become India's trademark, he said.

Adityanath

remembered Lal Bahadur Shastri, saying the previous prime minister boosted the

nation's desire to achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture by coining the motto

Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan. He said that during the 1965 war with Pakistan, Shastri displayed

India's power to the rest of the world.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi