Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi for a two-day visit and inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a key temple project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crore. The PM today launched phase one of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, which connects the holy city’s two iconic landmarks — Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ganga ghats. Later, he also attended the spectacular Ganga ‘aarti’ while onboard a cruise boat.
BJP president JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar were among those who accompanied Modi on the MV Vivekananda cruise.
On Tuesday, the second and final day of his visit, PM Modi will reach BLW Guest House at 8:50 am and participate in a conclave of Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states — Gujarat, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur, Tripura, and Uttarakhand at 9 am. Nine Deputy Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled states are also expected to participate to deliberate on a wide range of subjects. This crucial meeting ahead of the 2022 assembly elections in some states will continue till 2.45 pm.
At 3.20 pm, the Prime Minister will depart for Umrah area in the city and will attend a public gathering for an hour. At 4.35 pm, PM Modi will attend the 98th-anniversary celebrations of the Sadguru Sadafaldeo Vihangam Yog Sansthan at the Swarved temple in Umrah. He could also visit the Swarved Mahamandir Dham, a big centre of Vihangam Yoga and meditation in Varanasi.
The prime minister will the reach airport at 5.05 pm to depart for Delhi.
Earlier in the day, people chanted Har Har Mahadev’ as the PM’s carcade rolled through the city. Modi also stopped at one place to accept felicitations. Adityanath, Nadda and hundreds of seers and saints from across the country attended the ceremony.
The prime minister said earlier the Kashi Vishwanath temple area was only 3,000 square feet, which has now enlarged to about 5 lakh square feet. He said Kashi is “imperishable” and is under the patronage of Lord Shiva.
In his speech at the temple complex, the prime minister said if India is building a Ram Temple and the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, it is also laying down thousands of kilometres of optical fibre in the sea, building millions of houses for the poor and working to send people to space. He also recalled the work done on Buddhist and Sikh pilgrimage centres.
“The new India has a heritage as well as development. It is not only proud of its culture but has equal belief in its capabilities,” he said. The premises, he said, is a confluence of the ancient and new. It is a testimony to ”our capabilities and nothing is impossible if there is a firm resolve”.
This is expected to be PM Modi’s final official visit to Uttar Pradesh for unveiling projects before the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect in the poll-bound state. The BJP is putting up a big show of strength in Varanasi during PM Modi’s visit, with the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of all BJP-ruled states in attendance for both these days.
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