BJP Foundation Day: Goa CM highlights Jan Sangh leader's contribution to Goa's liberation movement

Panaji (Goa) [India], April 6 (ANI): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday extended his best wishes to the BJP workers on the party's foundation day, highlighting the significant contributions of Jan Sangh leader Jagannathrao Joshi to the Goa liberation movement.

Sawant emphasised the party's commitment to serving the people, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India and, specifically, a developed Goa.

'On the occasion of BJP's foundation day, I extend my best wishes to all the workers... Jagannathrao Joshi of Jan Sangh also made a significant contribution to the Goa liberation movement... We will continue to work for the people... Prime Minister Modi's resolve of a developed India, a developed Goa is our resolve too,' Sawant told ANI.

The Goa liberation movement was a pivotal moment in Indian history, with various leaders and activists fighting for independence from Portuguese rule. Notable figures like Joshi, along with others such as Luis de Menezes Braganca, Tristao Braganza da Cunha, and Juliao Menezes, played crucial roles in the struggle, culminating in Goa's liberation on December 19, 1961.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on the occasion of the party's Foundation Day.

In a post on the social media platform X, the Prime Minister wrote that the day made the party reiterate its unparalleled commitment to working towards the country's progress.

The PM further wrote that the people of the country also saw the party's good governance, which was reflected in the historic mandates received in previous years.

Similarly, on the BJP's Foundation Day, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath greeted party workers for their unwavering dedication to service, good governance, and the upliftment of the poor, rooted in the spirit of 'Nation above all.'

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated party workers on the party's foundation day, highlighting how the 'lotus symbol has become a new emblem of trust and hope in the hearts of the countrymen.'

The BJP was officially formed on April 6, 1980, on the basis of panch nishthas (five commitments). However, the party's origin lies with the formation of the Jana Sangh in 1950.

The Jana Sangh was started by former union minister Syama Prasad Mookerjee. The Jana Sangh merged with the Janata Party after the end of the Emergency in 1977, with the aim to defeat Congress. Later on, the question of 'dual membership' was raised between the RSS members and the Jana Sangh, with the ask that either the Jana Sangh members should leave the Janata Party or their membership of RSS. Regarding the issue, the Jana Sangh members left the Janata Party and officially founded the BJP on April 6, 1980.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has had two Prime Ministers since its formation: Narendra Modi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In the 1996, 1998, and 1999 Lok Sabha elections, the party emerged as the single largest party. In the 2019 Lok Sabha, the party won 303 seats, the most in the party's history. (ANI)