New Delhi, Sep 25 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, saying his emphasis on "antyodaya" and serving the poor keeps inspiring them.



Born in 1916 in Mathura, Upadhyaya was a RSS functionary and one of the founding members of the Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the BJP.

His philosophy of "integral humanism" and antyodaya (uplifting the most deprived) has been cited by Modi as a guiding principle for his government's welfare measures.

"I pay homage to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Ji on his Jayanti. His emphasis on Antyodaya and serving the poor keeps inspiring us. He is also widely remembered as an exceptional thinker and intellectual," Modi said.