Thiruvananthapuram: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi took part in the 60th birthday celebrations of the “hugging saint” Mata Amritanandmayi on Thursday. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate arrived in here yesterday by a special flight and spent the night at state-owned Mascot Hotel. Today morning, Modi visited the famed Padmanabhswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and also called upon the erstwhile royal family of Travancore before heading to Amma’s ashram, Amritapuri, in Kollam. Modi will address a gathering of Amma’s devotees drawn from different parts of the country and outside. Later in the day, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will also address a session.
Some central ministers and a galaxy of other prominent personalities are also expected to address the meetings at the ashram on September 27, the birthday of Amma. Former president APJ Abdul Kalam was the chief guest at the inaugural session yesterday. This is Modi’s second visit to Kerala this year. In April, he had visited the Sree Narayana Mutt at Sivagiri, the seat of the spiritual order founded by 20th century saint-reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The Left parties and the Congress had at the time slammed the Mutt for inviting Modi, arguing the ideology for which Modi stood was at variance with the message of universal love propagated by the Guru. Meanwhile, supporters were over enthusiastic after a vernacular newspaper carried a story on Wednesday that Modi would contest the 2014 general elections from Thiruvananthapuram and two other seats.
Bureau Report
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