'One Of India's Most Fearless Voices Of Conscience': PM Modi Pays Tribute To Jaiprakash Narayan On His Birth Anniversary

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to Jaiprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary while describing him as "one of India's most fearless voices of conscience".

In a post on X, PM Modi paid tribute to Jaiprakash Narayan on his birth anniversary and noted that Loknayak JP dedicated his life to empowering ordinary citizens and strengthening Constitutional values.

"His clarion call for Sampoorna Kranti ignited a societal movement, envisioning a nation built on equality, ethics and good governance. He inspired numerous mass movements, notably in Bihar and Gujarat, which led to a socio-political awakening across India. These movements shook the then Congress Government at the Centre, which went on to impose the Emergency and trample over our Constitution," PM Modi said.

"On his birth anniversary, paying homage to Loknayak JP, one of India's most fearless voices of conscience and a tireless champion for democracy and social justice," PM Modi said.

He also shared pages from his book, written while he was jailed during the Emergency period. "On Loknayak JP's birth anniversary, a rare glimpse from the archives... Here are pages from his book, Prison Diary, written during the Emergency," PM added.

"His Prison Diary captures his anguish and unbroken faith in democracy," he said.

Narayan is remembered for leading a rainbow coalition of Opposition parties in the mid-1970s against then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, calling for 'Sampoorna Kranti' (total revolution) in the aftermath of the Emergency imposed by the Congress.

The JP movement led to the formation of the first non-Congress government in the country in 1977.

Jayprakash Narayan was born on October 11, 1902. He died on October 8, 1979. In 1999, Narayan was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in recognition of his social service.

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