Modi’s heart beats for the poor: Amit Shah
New Delhi: On his 67th birthday, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation, took stock of the `Statue of Unity’ project, addressed a public meeting and interacted with the co-operative sector in his home state, the entire saffron family including BJP-ruled states observed the day as `Swachhata Hi Seva’, launching wide range of social service and cleanliness initiatives.
“Service or `seva’ indeed is the best way to celebrate Narendra Bhai’s birthday. Narendra Bhai is someone whose heart beats for the poor, downtrodden, marginalised and the farmers of India.
His deep concern for their welfare motivated him to immerse himself in nation building from a very young age,” BJP president Amit Shah said in a blog post on Sunday.
“Saying that the Prime Minister had lived his life with an `India First’ belief, Mr Shah expressed happiness that people from all walks of life, across the length and breadth of India, were celebrating this day as `Seva Divas.’
“It is Narendra Bhai’s sensitivity towards the aspirations of the poor that led to historic poverty alleviation initiatives taking shape at a scale unheard of in the history of India.
“With Jan Dhan Yojana’s unprecedented success, the banking system was opened to millions who were isolated from the financial main stream. Further, the government rolled out the biggest social security outreach for the poor,” Mr Shah wrote in his blog. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said `Swachhta Hi Sewa’ (Cleanliness is Service) is a “historic step” and that the sanitation drive was becoming a people’s movement.
The minority affairs minister told reporters that the Modi government had pledged to construct toilets in almost all madrassas and minority institutions. Mr Naqvi said his ministry was observing `Swachhta Hi Sewa’, a fortnight-long cleanliness campaign, in its all offices.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and Rajya Sabha MP Rupa Ganguly swept a street in front of Kalighat Temple here to mark Mr Modi’s birthday. Vijayvargiya, who is the party incharge for West Bengal, and Ganguly led a cleanliness drive sweeping the street in a symbolic gesture. Twitter was flooded with wishes to the PM as most senior BJP leaders and also from the Congress camp, including Rahul Gandhi, extended their wishes.