PM names Akhilesh top ‘navratna’ for UP
remained chock-a-block with people waiting to catch a glimpse of Modi doing ‘shramdan’
VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday named Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as the first of the ‘navratnas’ to carry forward his cleanliness campaign in the state.
Bringing his ‘Swachh Bharat’ drive to the banks of the Ganga, Modi surprised many by wielding the spade to clean the Assi ghat of stubborn soil mound that annually settles on the river banks after the rainy season.
“I have now brought the cleanliness campaign that I had launched in Delhi to Varanasi. The people of this historic city would now take it forward,” Modi said before proceeding to announce the names of nine persons for the UP leg of his cleanliness mission. Showing his energy and passion for the ‘clean Ganga and cleaner Varanasi mission’, the prime minister wielded the spade for nearly six minutes, stopping twice to clear his spectacles and mop the sweat off his brow.
Modi’s nomination of the UP CM followed their brief meeting at the Babatpur airport on Friday morning when Yadav flew down with two of his ministers to welcome Modi.
Apart from Yadav, other famous personalities nominated by the PM include cricketers Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina, Chitrakoot University V-C Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, Bhojpuri singer and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, litterateur Manu Sharma, professor Devi Prasad Dwivedi, comedian Raju Srivastava and singer Kailash Kher.
What this means is that Yadav is now part of Modi’s cleanliness drive and would have to nominate nine other persons.
VARANASI: It was no ordinary morning for the people at Assi as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the famed ghatin Varanasi on Saturday morning.
Well aware of the security paraphernalia around Modi, people arrived early at the ghat. Many perched themselves precariously on rooftops to have a glimpse of the PM.
The PM was scheduled to arrive at 8am, but he was about 40 minutes late.
As Modi reached Assi ghat, the massive crowd welcomed him with chants of Har Har Mahadev. Modi acknowledged the crowd in his typical style.
Ram Naresh Yadav, 51, a native of the Assi area, said, ”I have seen many famous personalities at Assi ghat but PM Modi was different. His gesture of acknowledgement of the crowd was like a true statesman.”
Modi performed Ganga aarti from a special stage placed at the banks of the Ganga with its front portion almost touching the water.
Amidst chanting of Vedic mantras by priest Srikant Mishra of Kashi Vishwanath temple, Modi performed Ganga aarti.
“The PM was deeply engrossed in rituals and performed the puja like a pilgrim who has arrived in Kashi from a far-off location,” said Awadesh Rai, another regular visitor at Assi. After performing Ganga puja, the PM picked up the spade to spearhead Swachh Bharat campaign in his constituency Varanasi. Labourers also joined the PM. With the dexterity of a labourer, the PM used the spade to remove silt from the mud. The process continued for about 10 minutes. However, Varanasi mayor Ram Gopal Mohle, who was standing next to the PM, became the object of mockery.
“Our PM is cleaning the ghat and the mayor is just watching,” shouted one of the onlookers. Realising his mistake, Mohle picked up the spade and pitched in for the PM’s cleanliness campaign. “Our PM leads by example. Now, it is the turn of Banarsis to clean the city,” said Ratnakar Pandey, a regular visitor to Assi.