On this day in 1916, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s stalwart Nanaji Deshmukh was born in Maharashtra. On the occasion, Prime Minister Modi and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu remembered the social activist.
Here are some of the important facts about him.
Early Life
He was born with the name of Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh on October 11 1916 into a Deshastha Maratha Brahmin family in the Kadoli region in the Hingoli district.
Political Career
In his life, he was very active politically in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He contested the Lok Sabha election from Balrampur constituency from 1977 to 1979.
Social Work In Education And Healthcare
In his social activism career, he worked in the fields of education and health. He stressed the importance of self-reliance in rural India.
Founding Member Of Janata Party
He is also the founding member of the Janata Party and subsequently became the senior-most member of the BJP.
Key Member Of JP Movement
He was also one of the key members of the Jayaprakash Narayan movement during the emergency. He was also influential in the formation of the Janata Party government in 1977.
Bharat Ratna And Padma Vibhushan
He was later conferred with the highest civilian award – the Bharat Ratna. He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan in the year 1999.
Association With The BJP
He represented the Bharatiya Jan Sangh in Rajya Sabha. Even after resigning from politics in the year 1980, he served as a nominated member in Rajya Sabha from the year 1999 to 2005.
Establishing First Saraswati Sishu Mandir
He started a chain of RSS schools throughout the country. He established the first Saraswati Sishu Mandir in Gorakhpur in the year 1950.
Association With The RSS
Deshmukh’s association with the RSS started at the age of 13 and remained a member of it until his death in the year 2010.
