'Even when Yoga was not as popular...': PM Modi addresses public rally in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh, highlights tourism potential

PM Modi also shared a personal anecdote about encountering an American citizen in the United States, adorned with garlands of Rudraksha, who attributed his lifestyle changes to his visits to Rishikesh.

Addressing a public rally in Uttarakhand's Rishikesh, known as the 'Yoga Capital' of the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that even when yoga was not as popular, people across the world used to visit Rishikesh out of curiosity about it. "Rishikesh is one of the most prominent tourist centres for people from neighbouring states. There was a time when yoga was not so popular, but even then, people from different countries used to visit Rishikesh out of curiosity about yoga," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also shared a personal anecdote about encountering an American citizen during his visit to the United States, adorned with garlands of Rudraksha, who attributed his lifestyle changes to his visits to Rishikesh. "I remember once I visited the US, a very remote area, and I was looking for vegetarian food. Meanwhile, I spotted a small shop owned by an American citizen. He had three or four garlands of Rudraksha around his neck. As I told him about my difficulty, he asked me not to worry as he would arrange some vegetarian food for me. During our interaction, he told me he keeps visiting Rishikesh, which has led to this kind of change in his lifestyle, and so he adorns the garland of Rudraksha," he said.

Further listing down the opportunities Uttarakhand and Rishikesh offer in the field of tourism and the works done by the BJP government to increase it, PM Modi said continuous work is being done to increase rail, road, and air connectivity in Uttarakhand. "In the field of tourism, Rishikesh has everything, in adventure tourism, it has rafting and camping. Those interested in spirituality or Yoga also get satisfied after visiting Rishikesh," the PM said.

He said that the BJP government is creating new job opportunities by supporting tourism in Uttarakhand. "For this, our focus is on Uttarakhand's connectivity with the rest of India. We are continuously increasing rail, road, and air connectivity in Uttarakhand. Work is underway on the Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line. The distance between Delhi and Dehradun is also reducing," the PM added.

"Border villages, which were called 'last villages' under Congress, are now being developed under the BJP government. Air services have started for Adi Kailash and Om Parvat. A 900-kilometre-long highway is also being built to connect Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath," PM Modi said. He also highlighted the number of tourists who visited Kedarnath and participated in the Char Dham Yatra.

"Last year, around 20 lakh devotees visited Kedarnath and in the entire Char Dham Yatra, over 55 lakh devotees visited Uttarakhand," he pointed out. Mentioning Uttarakhand's achievements, the PM said, "Youths of Uttarakhand have registered more than one thousand startups, out of which 500 are being led by our daughters. Uttarakhand farmers have received more than 2,600 crores of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi in their bank accounts. If there had been a Congress government, everything would have been looted."

PM Modi also slammed the Congress party for their dynasty politics, saying, "For the Congress leaders, first the royal family of Delhi and then their own family are everything. But for Modi, my India is my family. A very important part of my life was spent in this devbhoomi." "I have seen the hardships of our mothers and sisters, and that's why our government makes LPG cylinders available to every family. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, a lot of work has been done in Uttarakhand," he said.

During the rally, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who was sharing the stage with the PM, presented a 'Hudka' made by artisans of the state to him. Later, PM Modi was also seen tapping the 'Hudka' on the stage. Rishikesh comes under the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat, and the BJP has fielded Trivendra Singh Rawat as its candidate. Notably, among the 543 Lok Sabha seats, Uttarakhand contributes five seats to the 543-member Lok Sabha.

The BJP has fielded Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Anil Baluni, Ajay Tamta, Ajay Bhatt, and Trivendra Singh Rawat from the state. The voting for the state of Uttarakhand will be held in a single phase on April 19. Uttarakhand has been a hotly contested terrain for the BJP and Congress. Earlier in the 2014 and 2019 mega elections, the ruling BJP-led NDA clinched victory across all Lok Sabha constituencies. (ANI)

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