Bangalore, May 04: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today asked the people to contribute towards promoting peace, harmony, goodwill and cooperation "in our diverse society". "Let us follow the path enlightened by seers and social reformers like Basaveshwara", Vajpayee said in a message after garlanding the statue of the 12th century social reformer on the occasion of "Basava Jayanti" here.
Paying tributes to Basaveshwara, Vajpayee said he inaugurated a "powerful social revolution" by campaigning against discrimination on the basis of caste, class and gender and reaffirming the true ideals of religion.
"The message of social equality, justice and dignity of labour that he preached more than 800 years ago carries eternal and universal appeal. Which is why, he is still revered as a Jagadguru-- teacher of humanity", he said.
Vajpayee noted that he had unveiled an impressive statue of Basaveshwara in the precincts of parliament last week.
Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi, Chief Minister S M Krishna and Union Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar were also present. Bureau Report