Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought to strike an emotional chord with the people of Bihar, paying tributes to the CRPF personnel from the state, who were killed in Pulwama terror attack and shelling by Pakistan army in Jammu and Kashmir.
He paid homage to CRPF Head Constable Sanjay Kumar Sinha and Constable Ratan Kumar Thakur, both victims of the Pulwama attack, and Inspector Pintu Kumar Singh, who died in shelling at Handwara a couple of days ago.
In keeping with his style of making the people chant "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" thrice with raised fists, Modi this time prefixed the evocation with phrases - "parakrami bharat ke liye" (for the valiant India), "vijayi bharat ke liye" (for a triumphant India) and "veer jawanon ke liye" (for our brave soldiers).
Beginning his 40-minute-long speech with greetings in three local dialects Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magahi, Modi also remembered the state's legendary figures of the ancient, medieval and modern periods.
The prime minister mentioned Buddha, Chanakya, Emperor Ashoka, medieval era bard Vidyapati, 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh, the 1857 revolt hero Veer Kunwar Singh and Hindi poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, who is fondly called 'Rashtrakavi'.
Modi also paid tributes to political figures like the state's first Chief Minister Shri Krishna Sinha and his deputy Anugraha Narayan Singh, Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayan and OBC stalwart Karpoori Thakur, conveying his regard for them cutting across caste lines.
Modi also made a special mention of Sulabh International founder and Bihar native Bindeshwar Pathak, in recognition of his pioneering work in eradication of manual scavenging and improving public sanitation. Indian Railways has made Pathak its brand ambassador under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
When it began to drizzle a few minutes after he began his speech, he sought to perk up the restless crowds saying, "Here comes Lord Varuna with his blessings". Lord Varuna is the god of rain in Hindu mythology.
Elaborate security measures were in place at the Gandhi Maidan, the rally venue, which was rocked by a series of explosions in October, 2013 when Modi - the then Gujarat chief minister and the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate - had addressed his maiden political rally in Bihar.
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