PM Modi Touches the Feet of 66-Year-Old 'Best from Waste' Champion Kamala Moharana in Odisha Rally

In a touching moment at his rally in Barua on the outskirts of Odisha’s Kendrapada on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stunned 66-year-old Kamala Moharana when he bowed down to touch her feet. Moharana was featured in PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat radio programme last year and was praised for her efforts in turning discarded materials into goods that can be used.

“Friends, waste to wealth is also an important dimension of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Kamala Moharana, a sister from Kendrapada district of Odisha, runs a self-help group (SHG). The women of this group make many things such as baskets and mobile stands from milk pouches and other plastic packing materials,” the PM had said on air in February last year. Moharana had also sent the PM a rakhi made from recycled products.

Reports quoted Moharana as saying that she wanted to touch Modi’s feet but the PM “suddenly bowed his head before me and touched my feet”. She said she would never forget this moment.

Odisha will vote in the fourth and last phase of Assembly elections on June 1, along with the seventh and final phase of voting in Lok Sabha elections. There are 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state, and a 147-member Assembly.

In the 2019 elections, BJD won 12 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP secured eight and Congress managed one seat. In the assembly, the BJD bagged 113 seats, the BJP won 23 seats, the Congress secured nine seats, the CPI(M) won one, and also an Independent candidate won.

In his rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that Odisha’s identity and its language are under threat and people of the state will not tolerate this any longer. “Odisha’s identity, its language and literature are in crisis today. The BJD government has worsened the situation in the state. The people will not tolerate this for much longer. This time there will be a change in Odisha,” Modi had said in the interview with CNBC-TV18.

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