NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, a key party ideologue, on his death anniversary, saying he showed the path to take the country forward by keeping the Indian culture and heritage at its centre.

These have become an inspiration in building a developed India as well, Modi posted on X.

Upadhyaya, an RSS functionary, was among the founding members of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the BJP forerunner.

His ideas of "antyodaya" (uplift of the most impoverished) and "integral humanism" have often been cited by Modi as an inspiration for his governance model. Upadhyaya died in 1968.

Other BJP leaders also paid rich tributes to him, with party president J P Nadda asserting that his values will always be a guiding light for the party.

Home Minister Amit Shah said Upadhyaya's life is a giant symbol of serving the nation and devotion towards it.

He believed no country can progress by neglecting the fundamental values of its culture, Shah said.