Taking a swipe at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav for "wishing his death" in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said till his death neither will people of Kashi leave him nor will Kashi leave him.
Addressing 'BJP's Booth Vijay Samelan' in Varanasi, which was also known as Kashi in ancient times, the Prime Minister said, "I do not like to criticize anyone personally nor do I want to criticize anyone. But when I was publicly wished for my death in Kashi, I really felt very happy, my heart felt very relaxed. I felt that even my staunch opponents were seeing how much love the people of Kashi had for me. Those people have fulfilled my wish. This means that till my death neither the people of Kashi will leave me nor will Kashi leave me."
PM Modi's remarks come on a statement by the SP chief after the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in December last year.
"Bahut achhi baat hai. Ek Maheena nahin, do mahina, teen mahina wahin rahein. Woh jagah rahene wali hai. Aakhri samay par vaheen raha jata hai, Banaras mein (It is a very good thing. Not just one month. He should stay there for two months, three months. That's the place to stay. When the end nears, that's where one stays - in Banaras)," Yadav had said.
PM Modi further said that the party has given him the meritorious benefit of serving Kashi, sitting at the feet of Mahadev and Mother Ganga.
"The workers of BJP work for the country. For all of us, it has always been party above individual and country above party. We win elections but at the same time we win the hearts of the people," the Prime Minister said.
Talking about Varanasi, he said that the path of development on which the city is going forward will open the way for the country to be free from poverty and crime.
The Prime Minister also offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
Elections for the fifth phase are currently underway in districts -- Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Chitrakoot, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Barabaki, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Gonda, Amethi, and Raebareli.
Polling for the remaining two phases will take place on March 3 and March 7. The counting of votes will take place on March 10.
( With inputs from ANI )
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