The Governor-designate for Himachal Pradesh, Acharya Dev Vrat, on Saturday lauded the BJP leadership for appointing a non-political social worker and educationist like him to the gubernatorial post and said he will continue to work for the nation.
"I congratulate the BJP leadership for appointing a non- political person like me to the post of governor, taking my work as an educationist and social worker for the last 35 years as the sole basis for giving me this opportunity," Dev Vrat said after the announcement of his appointment on Saturday afternoon. He added that no considerations of caste or party had influenced his appointment.
BJP has carried on with the tradition of appointing apolitical people to top positions, he said citing the example of APJ Abdul Kalam, whom the previous NDA government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee had appointed as the President of India.
"I have worked for social causes all my life and will continue to do so," he said, adding that he had no clue about his appointment and came to know about it only through television reports.
The 56-year-old Dev Vrat said that his goal was to keep alive the "Vedic culture and tradition" of the country and inculcate a scientific temper among the people. An Arya Samaj pracharak, Dev Vrat has taken up social issues like those of farmers, drug-free society, village upliftment, ayurveda and naturopathy and organic farming. He studied at a gurukul and runs one at Kurukshetra in Haryana. He has done his B.Ed and post graduation in History from Kurukhetra University and is a diploma holder in Yogic science and a doctor of naturopathy and Yogic science.
A recipient of American Medal of Honor awarded by American Biographical Institute for his selfless dedication to social causes, Dev Vrat has been Principal of the Gurukul since 1981.
