Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], April 6 (ANI): Rajasthan Home Minister Jawahar Singh Bedham on Monday extended greetings on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s 47th foundation day.

He highlighted the party's growth from its Bharatiya Jana Sangh roots and described it as the world's largest political organisation committed to 'Antyodaya' and grassroots leadership.

Speaking to the reporters, Bedham said, 'I extend heartfelt greetings on the occasion of the BJP foundation day. The party is rooted in the earlier Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and was founded by five individuals to promote the nation first policy and clean politics... Unlike other parties that became family-centric, the BJP stands out for allowing workers from the booth level to rise to high positions like Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and national or state president.'

'The party, committed to 'Antyodaya' (upliftment of the last person), is now the world's largest political party... The CM himself worked for a long time to reach this position... May this party flourish under the leadership of National President Nitin Nabin and state party President Madan Rathore and may we achieve the goals of a developed Rajasthan and a developed India by 2047,' he said.

Bharatiya Jana Sangh was the precursor of the BJP. It was started in 1950 by former Union Minister Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, who laid the foundation of the party's ideology.

The Jana Sangh merged with the Janata Party after the end of the Emergency in 1977, with the aim of defeating 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, PM 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)