This morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a special Rs 100 coin to honour the legacy of Vijaya Raje Scindia, the ruling BJP 's founding leader, on her 100th birthday. Linking his slogan for a self-reliant India (Atma Nirbhar Bharat) to its legacy, the Prime Minister said: "The dream of Rajmata was a safe, safe and prosperous Bharat. We are going to realise this dream with a self-reliant India." Vijaya Raje Scindia was "a witness to the key political events in India from the struggle for independence to decades after the independence of the country," PM Modi said. "Rajmata Scindia was one of the key political figures who showed the direction in the last 60 years. She was a decisive leader and a capable administrator. Her experience was vast, from burning foreign clothes to Ram Mandir Andolan before independence," he stressed.

"It's so wonderful that the Ramjanmabhoomi she fought for, that dream, too, was realised in the centennial year of her birth," At a virtual ceremony held to release the commemorative coin, PM Modi said. "She proved that public service (Jan Satta) is more important than holding on to power (Raj Satta). She was a royal, but in prison she spent important years of her life. She wrote a letter to her daughters during the Emergency," PM Modi shared. Recalling the content of the letter, the Prime Minister said she gave a key lesson that "in dealing with our present struggles, future generations should be able to draw inspiration as we make sacrifices."

"She had let go of all her comforts for the future generations. She never chose political power over ideology for place or prestige, "PM Modi shared.  Vijaye Raje Scindia's grandson, Jyotiraditya Scindia, ended his decade-long association with Congress earlier this year to join the BJP. BJP MLA Yashodhara Raje, daughter of Vijay Raje Scindia and aunt of Jyotiraditya Scindia, praised Mr. Scindia for a step "taken in (the) national interest" and called it a "ghar wapsi (homecoming)." "This is ghar wapsi (home-coming). The way Prime Minister Narendra Modi and (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah welcomed him demonstrates their respect for Rajmata (Vijaya Raje Scindia)," she told reporters.