Modi holds massive road show in aranasi

Lucknow: Cheered on by a massive crowd, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a mega road show in Varanasi, a day before he filed his nomination papers for a second term in the Lok Sabha.

Huge crowds turned out to cheer the Prime Minister who was symbolically dressed in a saffron kurta and ‘angavastram’. Though the road show started almost two hours late, there was no depletion in people’s enthusiasm.

Modi began his journey from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) where he paid tributes to the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya.

The road show meandered through the ancient temples and ghats such as Assi, Bhadini, Sonarpura, Madanpura, Jangambari and Godowlia and culminated at the Dashashwamedh Ghat where the Prime Minister held a ‘puja’ and attended the ‘Ganga pujan’ after the Ganga ‘aarti’ which had been delayed. The ‘Ganga aarti’ is held at 6.50.p.m everyday but today it was held almost an hour behind scheduled.

Just before he began his road show, the Prime Minister tweeted “Grateful for warmth and affection”.

Top BJP leaders, including party president Amit Shah, top Union Ministers and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, accompanied Modi as the convoy moved though the holy town.

Ramlila artistes from one of the city’s oldest troupes, the Mauni Baba Ram Lila Committee which is 522 years old, accompanied the convoy.

Its manager Vikram Bhardwaj said, “Lord Ram’s Sena is with PM Modi,” pointing towards actors dressed as Hanuman, Angad, Nal and Neel -- the monkey army from the epic Ramayana.

Slogans like “Modi pure hai, baaki sab chor hai” and “Har jagah Modi ka danka, haar gayi Priyanka” rang out as rose petals were showered on the Prime Minister. Varanasi will go to polls in the last phase on May 19.