V-P Naidu in UP, to visit Ayodhya, Varanasi today
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu reached Lucknow on Thursday evening on a three-day Uttar Pradesh visit with his wife.
He will visit Ayodhya and Varanasi by the presidential train on Friday.
Governor Anandiben Patel, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak welcomed the vice- president at the Lucknow airport on his arrival.
Later, the governor hosted dinner in the vice-president’s honour. The chief minister and all ministers of the state government were present on the occasion.
Governor Anandiben Patel, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and members of the council of ministers also wished the vicepresident and his wife M Usha on the couple’s 52nd marriage anniversary.
The CM presented a memento of the Kashi Vishwanath temple to Naidu on behalf of the council of ministers.
Naidu will stay at Governor’s House (Raj Bhavan) in the state capital.
The vice-president will leave for Ayodhya on Friday by the presidential train from Charbagh railway station in Lucknow at around 9am.
The train is expected to reach Ayodhya at around 11am.
The vice-president will spend about three hours in Ayodhya, according to the Ayodhya administration. He will offer prayers at the makeshift Ram temple at Ram Janmabhoomi.
He will also review ongoing the construction work of the Ram temple. Thereafter, he will offer prayers at the Hanuman Garhi temple.
After the Ayodhya visit, the vice-president will leave for Varanasi by the same train on Friday evening. On Saturday, he will offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple and visit the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Smriti Sthal in Mughalsarai.
He will leave for New Delhi from Varanasi airport on Saturday evening.
The Ayodhya administration carried out a mock drill on Thursday to review security arrangements for the vice-president’s visit.
Senior officials of the Ayodhya administration, including divisional commissioner Navdeep Rinwa, inspector general of police KP Singh, district magistrate Nitish Kumar and senior superintendent of police Shailesh Kumar Pandey were present during the mock drill.