Need to rise above party politics to understand Deendayal Upadhyay: Prez

President Ram Nath Kovind today said people will have to rise above party politics to understand the life and work of BJP ideologue Deendayal Upadhyay.

Kovind said this while receiving a special issue of the 'Think India' journal devoted to the "philosopher-politician" at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The President called Upadhyay a "national pride" and said he remains an important national figure who enriched Indian politics and public thought with his writings and ideas.

"There is a need for a broader consciousness as well as a need to rise above party politics to evaluate him and his work," he said.

The President said Upadhyay advocated cooperation in the interests of the nation and sought to place the developmental process above narrow partisanship.

"Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B R Ambedkar, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and the late Deendayal Upadhyay carried forward Indian thought and kept it relevant to grassroots development," he said.

Along with formulating ideas, the President said, these eminent personalities worked on the ground and had practical achievements.

In the same vein, he said, Jawaharlal Nehru's book Discovery of India' was also an "important attempt" to understand India's philosophical and cultural traditions.

Kovind said the special issue of the journal was an attempt in this direction and that the compilation of articles of writers belonging to different generations, political parties and persuasions was "commendable".

The President lauded NCP leader and editor of the issue D P Tripathi for bringing out the special collection.

The copy was given to the President by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, and JD (U) MP Pawan Verma.

Despite conceptual distinctions, the President said, a certain unity and ethos is the hallmark of India.

"In this compilation, efforts have been made to understand Deendayal Upadhyay's contributions through this prism," he said.