In Varanasi, PM Modi’s birthday becomes a show of NDA unity - The Indian Express

BJP allies N Chandrababu Naidu and Chirag Paswan were in Varanasi on Thursday along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a series of events were organised in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency to mark his 76th birthday.

A motorcycle journey from Varanasi to Vadnagar in Gujarat — the PM’s hometown — was flagged off while 76 young priests performed special prayers and a milk “abhishek” of the Ganga, seeking Modi’s good health and long life. Starting on Thursday, the BJP will organise a series of events across the country as part of its “Seva Sankalp Abhiyan” to mark Modi completing 25 years in public office.

Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath, Chandrababu Naidu, Chirag Paswan and Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary also offered prayers in the sanctum sanctorum of the Kashi Vishwanath temple on the occasion. “We have prayed to God that our Prime Minister Modi ji has a long life and remains healthy throughout his life. We have also prayed that the goal of a developed India can be achieved soon,” Singh told reporters on the temple premises.

Later in the day, before flagging off the motorcycle journey, all the leaders addressed the crowd. In his speech, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu emphasised the unity in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). “Today, I say it clearly, we stand together; we will stay together for the future. Our unity is our strength, our unity is the country’s strength. NDA ek hai, NDA majboot hai (The NDA is one and strong),” said Naidu, who chanted “Har Mahadev” and “Jai Shree Ram” during his speech.

Naidu said the country could become a developed nation in another 20-25 years only because of Modi. “We are from different states, different regions, we speak different languages, we carry different traditions, but our goal is one: strong India,” said the Andhra CM.

“Stability will build confidence, confidence brings investment, investment creates jobs. The chain is simple. Today, the whole country can see the result. Andhra Pradesh felt this partnership directly. The Centre stood with us for Amaravati and for Polavaram. For us, cooperative federalism is not a slogan. It is a daily experience,” Naidu said, adding that development happens at a fast pace when the Centre and the states move together.

The country should remember the “VKS mantra”, he said. In this, “V” stands for Vadnagar, “K” for Kashi, and “S” for September 17, Modi’s birthday, Naidu said, adding that the VKS mantra needs to be celebrated throughout the country.

The Andhra CM also advocated for the linking of rivers. “If you link all rivers, India will be unstoppable. India has plenty of water. If you link the Brahmaputra, the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Cauvery, and the Godavari, then India will be a different India.”

Naidu said he had seen so many CMs, but only Modi understood technologies such as space technology, drone technology, electronics, robotics, semiconductors, and even quantum technology.

Union Minister Chirag Paswan, the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said that he wanted to reassure that he stands firm in support of PM Modi. “Till the PM is there, Chirag Paswan will stand with him like his shadow,” Paswan said.

“I say this confidently that Narendra Modi is not just the name of the prime minister of India; that is the name of the country’s honour and pride,” Paswan said. After concluding his speech, Paswan touched the feet of Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath, and Chandrababu Naidu.

Highlighting the PM’s achievements in the 25 years he has held public office, Rajnath Singh said these 25 years were only a “half-inning” and Modi would serve the country for many more decades.

After the public addresses, 500 youngsters — wearing white T-shirts with photographs of religious places in Vadnagar, the Ganga, and PM Modi — on 250 bikes set off on the motorcycle journey as BJP workers showered them with flowers.

BJP leaders said the idea behind the yatra was to exchange holy water from rivers between Modi’s birthplace of Vadnagar and his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi and perform jalabhishek at religious places.

The BJP’s Yuva Morcha general secretary in Gangtok, Dibon Lepcha, is among those participating in the yatra along with nine other party workers from Sikkim. A postgraduate in geography, Lepcha left a teaching job a few months ago to run resorts, which is a family business.

“I am excited and nervous too. I am excited to be part of this yatra that is associated with PM Modi ji. But I am also nervous because it is a long yatra on bikes with many tasks to complete on the route,” Lepcha said.

“The party is providing us with bikes, helmets, raincoats, T-shirts and a diary in a bag. The responsibility of refuelling the bikes has been given to the in-charge,” said Shiv Shankar Kumar, a BJP mandal unit president from Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand. He said each group of bikes would travel around 2,100 km in the next 20 days.

The bikers would travel through 1,159 villages in 193 districts in 10 states, including 50 districts in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. According to the yatra participants, they will ride at least 100 km daily and organise a programme every 25 km. At these events, they will plant trees, run cleanliness drives, speak to people about Modi’s public service, play a 15-minute video on PM Modi on an LED screen, collect feedback from them about government programmes, and meet religious leaders. The party has set up a war room in Lucknow to monitor the progress of the yatra.

Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politic... Read More