New Delhi, Sep 20 (PTI) Two ongoing bike rallies — from Vadnagar to Varanasi and from Varanasi to Vadnagar — marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 25 years of public service are passing through districts, towns and villages, taking the spirit of service to the grassroots.
The participants of the yatras are not simply passing through communities, but they are meeting people and rendering ‘seva’ (service) in activities that respond to local needs, people associated with the two rallies said.
Interacting with beneficiaries of government welfare schemes, youths and women to understand the changes brought by welfare and empowerment initiatives is one of the key objectives of the rallies.
The participants have set out on a journey that is much more than motorcycle rallies, the organisers said.
The participants of the two bike rallies are participating in cleanliness drives at ponds, temples, schools, parks, hospitals and other public areas, besides tree plantation under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’.
The campaign seeks to connect young people with public and social service, nation-building and strengthen the spirit of service and patriotism.
At PM SHRI Schools, the participants of the two rallies are cleaning campuses, interacting with students and distributing books and stationery.
At hospitals, orphanages and old-age homes, they are extending support to those who need it most, those aware of the activities said.
Kits are being distributed to widows, ASHA workers are being honoured and communities are coming together for different welfare activities.
The yatra is equally about ‘sampark’ (connect) and dialogue. Interactions with youths, meetings in villages, interactions with village-level leaders, women and government welfare scheme beneficiaries are creating opportunities to have direct dialogue and understand people’s aspirations and provide awareness at the grassroots, the organisers said.
Organ donation pledges encourage a spirit of giving, while tributes to martyrs and freedom fighters are connecting communities with the nation’s history and heroes.
The two bike rallies were flagged off from Vadnagar and Varanasi, respectively, on September 17, Modi’s 76th birthday, and will end on October 7.
Vadnagar in Gujarat is the birthplace of Modi, while Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh is his Lok Sabha constituency since 2014.
The flag-off event in Vadnagar was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and Union minister Anupriya Patel, among others.
The Varanasi event was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Union Minister Chirag Paswan, besides others.
Modi served as the chief minister of Gujarat from October 7, 2001, to May 22, 2014. He became the prime minister of India on May 26, 2014, and has since remained in office, winning three Lok Sabha elections consecutively.
The BJP has organised a campaign to mark 25 years of Modi’s public service, from his journey as a party worker to becoming the chief minister of Gujarat and later the prime minister.
The rally from Vadnagar to Varanasi will cover a distance of around 40,000 km, passing through 193 districts and approximately 1,159 villages across 10 states, said V D Sharma, the national in-charge of the rally.
Around 1,000 youths are participating in the two-way journey.
The bike rallies will pass through parts of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh that were earlier affected by Naxalism. PTI ACB DIV DIV
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