Lucknow | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the BJP was proud that its government got the opportunity to "tear down the wall of Article 370".

Modi said this after inaugurating the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow on the 101st birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Addressing a public gathering after the inauguration, Modi said, "The BJP is proud that our government had the opportunity to tear down the wall of Article 370."

He added that the legacy of good governance created by the BJP-led NDA government was now being taken to new heights at both the Centre and state levels.

"We must not forget how after Independence, a tendency developed to attribute every positive achievement to a single family," he said.

The prime minister said his government had made Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya's Antyodaya vision its mission to ensure that government schemes reached all the poor without discrimination. "Before 2014, about 25 crore people were covered under social security schemes, while today this number has increased to 95 crore," he said.

Modi also said the day was not far when Uttar Pradesh's defence corridor would be known globally for defence manufacturing.

PM Modi was accompanied by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other senior leaders. He was warmly welcomed by people who waved the tricolour and raised slogans in his honour.

The Rashtra Prerna Sthal, a landmark national memorial complex dedicated to the life and ideals of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee, features 65-foot-high bronze statues of Vajpayee, Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya. It also houses a state-of-the-art museum designed in a lotus-shaped structure spread over 98,000 square feet.

After the inauguration, Modi, along with other leaders, visited the museum and viewed the displays showcasing the contributions of Vajpayee, Mookerjee and Upadhyaya.