Lucknow, Apr 25 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday paid tributes to former chief minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna on his birth anniversary and said he made invaluable contributions to the development of the state and the country.

After offering flowers to a statue of the former chief minister here, Adityanath said, “On behalf of the people of the state, I bow to his memories and pay humble tributes to him.” Adityanath said, “Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna was a great freedom fighter. Due to his active role in the Quit India Movement, he had to face torture at the hands of the British government.” Throwing light on the life of the late leader, Adityanath said, “He entered public life in 1952 by becoming a member of the UP Legislative Assembly for the first time. As a minister in the state government, chief minister and Union minister, he contributed to the development of the state and the country by showing leadership ability in many ministries.” Adityanath said that after getting educated in his native village, Bahuguna came to Prayagraj for higher studies and joined the freedom movement there.

Bahuguna was born on April 25, 1919, in Pauri Garhwal (now Uttarakhand) and died on March 17, 1989, in Ohio, United States. PTI CDN RHL