In another classic case of over-enthusiastic journalism gone wrong, several media outlets reported that BHU VC GCTripathi had turned up for PM Modi's rally in Varanasi.
In another classic case of over-enthusiastic journalism gone wrong, several media outlets reported that BHU VC GC Tripathi had turned up for PM Modi’s roadshow on March 4. GC Tripathi has strongly dismissed the allegations. He told News 18: “I was watching the whole proceedings on television from my office that day. Claims about I being present at the rally were malicious attempts to defame me and the university. I am ready for any punishment if these allegations are proven true. One malicious journalist started the whole thing by spreading lies on Twitter. If he comes to the campus again he will be thrashed properly. Wo vidhivat peete jaayenge. Bilkul peete jaayenge (They will systematically beaten-up). I will not allow anyone to spread lies about me or the institution.” He also spoke about his links to RSS, saying there was nothing wrong with being a member of the organisation, and that even the PM was an RSS pracharak. One senior editor said it was a case of ‘mistaken identity’.
On Saturday and Sunday, PM Modi carried out roadshows at his own constituency – Varanasi. He said he had made Kashi his ‘Karya Kshetra’ so that people could regain pride in the nation. He added that Kashi wasn’t a city but a ‘symbol of humanity’ and BJP would build an ‘Uttam Kashi’.
Attacking Akhilesh, he promised that when the BJP government came to power, there would be 24 hours electricity. He said: “24 ghante bijli dene ka vaada karta hoon,mujhe Ganga maiya ki kasam khaane ki zarurat nahi hai.” PM Modi also thanked Lord Shiva for giving proof of Akhilesh’s lie, saying that there was no electricity when Akhilesh went to the temple. He said: “Akhilesh Yadav lies about providing 24x7 electricity, I ask you, is power outage a problem or not. But today bhole baba (Lord Shiva) himself gave them proof as during their temple visit today, there was power outage.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he chose Varanasi over Vadodara because he wanted to restore the ancient temple town to its former glory. "I had won the Lok Sabha polls from Vadodara in my home state and Varanasi. I chose Varanasi as I wanted to restore the lost glory of the oldest city in the world," he told a town hall gathering in his constituency, seeking to strike a chord with the voters of election-bound Uttar Pradesh.
The Prime Minister began his speech with throaty chants of Har Har Mahadev , an incantation to Lord Shiva which has also been the traditional form of greeting for residents of this ancient city.
Reaching out to his constituents who will vote in the last of the seven-phase assembly elections on March 8, Modi spoke his first few lines in Bhojpuri, the local dialect, and expressed his delight over getting an opportunity to visit the temples of Kashi Vishwanath, the presiding deity of the city, and Kaal Bhairav, who he referred to as "Kashi Kotwal (the custodian of Kashi)".
Apparently peeved at the Congress demanding registration of an FIR against him for today's roadshow here, Modi recalled how permission was denied for his rally in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections when he was the BJP's prime ministerial nominee.
Modi said being a "small worker of BJP" apart from the local MP and Prime Minister, he had the right to interact with people of his constituency.
"I am a small BJP worker besides being the Prime Minister and an MP. I am pained by the memory of election officials in the city depriving me of an opportunity to hold a rally during the Lok Sabha polls. Permission for the rally was granted at the last moment. I wonder what might have been the compulsion for the election officials to take such a decision.
"Assembly elections are a festival of democracy and I availed of this opportunity to interact with the people of my parliamentary constituency by travelling in an open vehicle on my way to holy temples," Modi said.
With inputs from PTI
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