Deendayal Upadhyaya brought ancient Indian ideal of humanism into politics: Bihar Guv

Bodh Gaya (Bihar), Feb 11 (PTI) Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Tuesday showered praise on Hindutva icon Deendayal Upadhyaya, whom he credited with bringing the “ancient Indian ideal of humanism” into politics.

Khan was in Bodh Gaya, where he addressed a seminar on late Upadhyaya’s philosophy of ‘integral humanism’, which was attended, among others, by senior BJP leaders Ram Madhav, Guru Prakash Paswan and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.

The governor said, “Five major civilizations can be said to exist in the world. These are Indian, Chinese, Iranian, Roman and Turkish. Our civilization stands apart in its emphasis on respecting all civilizations.”

The governor also said that ‘maanavata’ (humanism) was a key component of Indian civilization which, as evident from ancient works like the Vedas, the Bhagavad Gita and the treatises of Sankara, as also modern thinkers like Swami Vivekananda.

“Upadhyaya’s philosophy of integral humanism (ekatm manavatavad) was an attempt to bring this ideal into politics. The term is quite apt for a diverse nation and it sums up all the ideals enshrined in our Constitution,” Khan said.

Speaking on the occasion, Ram Madhav said, “Mahatma Gandhi and Deendayal Upadhyaya can be called two original (maulik) thinkers born in our country in the previous century.”

“Unfortunately, though, we have not been true to our roots and tend to look at the West, a reason why often India is seen, on international fora, as a nation that has produced no great thinkers,” the senior BJP leader said.