“Normally coalitions are forged to form a government. But now, a coalition is being put together to form an opposition. People of the country have given a slap on their faces,” he said in his thanksgiving speech on the banks of the Ganga river in Varanasi on Saturday.
Invoking ‘Ma Ganga’, he said it was on her call he was here to contest and added that it was God’s will to be sent here to help clean the river and accomplish other tasks to make the holy town a cultural capital of the country.
“It is Mother Ganga who has set a task for me and I will follow her the way she guides me and will keep working on her directions,” he said.
Participating in the ‘Ganga Aarti’ in Varanasi on Saturday evening Modi said when India was leading the world, Varanasi led the nation.
“Till Varanasi leads the nation again, India cannot lead the world,” he said calling upon the people of the country to support him and contribute in helping India regain its pristine glory and Varanasi its place of prominence.
He also promised to convert the holy town into a big tourist spot and said making the city clean will be his top priority and sought the people’s support in doing so.
The first condition for making Kashi a cultural and spiritual capital of the country is to keep the city clean, he said adding that it has the potential to once again become the great tourist destination.
Modi said he doesn’t just need the votes of the people of Varanasi but also their cooperation in keeping the city clean.
Talking about the poll results in favour of BJP, he said posters carrying Modi’s photos cannot make him their own but Mother Ganga has done so.
He lamented that many governments came and went but the cleanliness of the Ganga river remained a distant dream, saying “Mother Ganga is awaiting some son of hers who will accomplish the task to clean the river. There are a number of tasks that God has decided for me…”
Modi thanked people of the holy town saying even though he was silenced by the poll authorities and could not address them during campaigning, he has come here to salute the holy land and also the voters here.
He visited the holy city and offered prayers at famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.
After visiting the temple, the Prime Minister elect went to famed Dashashwamedh Ghat and took part in ‘Ganga Aarti’ for about half-an-hour amid chanting of ‘shlokas’ and blowing of conch shells.
Modi was accompanied by BJP president Rajnath Singh, his close aide Amit Shah and party UP chief Lakshmikant Bajpai.
His coming to the holy city is seen as a gesture of gratitude towards people here who have elected him by a huge margin of over 3 lakh votes.
A huge electronic lotus (artificial lotus) was floated in the middle of the Ganga river.
Ganga Arti at Dashashwamedh Ghat attracts huge crowds on a daily basis and there were some restrictions imposed on people visiting the nearby ghats amid tight security arrangements.