Union Home Minister Amit Shah said here on Monday that Kalyan Singh (Babuji) was a symbol of immense compassion for the backward and the poor and never compromised on their well being.

“Babu ji never talked about casteism but did the work of providing strength to the backward castes,” Shah said while paying tributes to the former UP CM and flag bearer of Ram Temple Movement on his 2nd death anniversary here on Monday.

The programme was organised as Hindu Gaurav Diwas.

The Union home minister said it was the time when a flood of Ram devotees thronged Ayodhya. “People pressurized that the kar sevaks should be stopped by firing bullets but babuji took a big decision by stepping down as CM rather than order  fire on the Karseveks. It was a big sacrifice” he said.

“On the day Modi ji laid the foundation stone of Shri Ram Mandir, I had a talk with Babuji and he said that the goal of his life has been fulfilled and his life was blessed,” Shah said.

He said that since 2014, Prime Minister Modi has taken forward the same works which were started by Babuji for the welfare of the backward society. He said that the Congress party had kept the issue of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in abeyance, which was resolved in Prime Minister Modi’s government. ” Modiji worked for poor welfare, gave respect to the backward and completed the work of Ram Mandir in nine years,” he said.

Shah said Kalyan Singh ‘Babuji’ had emphasised on three goals. The first was to speed up the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the second was the welfare of the poor and the third was the welfare of the backward society without disturbing the social harmony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking Babuji’s work forward at a fast pace.

He said, “when I came as the in-charge of UP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, I had no knowledge of the state at all. Babu ji sat for 11 hours and informed about the issues and other details of every district . He used to guide on phone twice every day. As a result, every record was broken in UP. Amit Shah said, I pay tribute to Babuji on behalf of crores of workers of the country”.

Speaking on the occasion, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goel said Kalyan Singh was a very hard worker of the party and always thought for the well being of the people.

“Babuji had connected people from all sphere of life with the party ,” he said while adding that BJP with the blessings of Kalyan Singh and the people of the state, BJP will win 80 out of 80 seats in UP in coming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.