After Varanasi, BJP Chief Ministers To Head To Ayodhya For Ram Lalla's Darshan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded an extensive meeting of chief ministers and deputy chief ministers in Varanasi during his two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency on Monday, 13 December. In Varanasi, he inaugurated the phase 1 of the newly-constructed Kashi Vishwanath Dham on Monday.

Chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were present at the conclave led by Modi today, 14 December, as well as in a meeting, hours after the grand celebrations marking the Kashi Vishwanath Dham inauguration.

Deputy chief ministers from Bihar and Nagaland were also present at the meeting, which was meant to help the visiting chief ministers and deputy chief ministers share governance-related practices and experiences. Modi's vision of working towards self-reliant India with a well-knit team was the binding force of the meeting. The meet was to be followed by a conclave of the visiting chief ministers and deputy chief ministers.

The visiting dignitaries from other states have been accompanied by their spouses.

On Tuesday, wives of the visiting chief ministers visited the Akhand Bharat Mata Mandir situated in Kashi. They visited other spots of cultural importance in Kashi and reportedly spent nearly 20 minutes in the temple premises.

Local media in Varanasi has reported that the children and wives of the visiting chief ministers visited the Sankat Mochan Mandir today (14 December) and collected flowers and prasad during their visit. On Monday they visited Sarnath and attended a light and sound show dedicated to the archaeological site. They reportedly bought the Banarasi weaves, sarees in particular, in Kashi. Local guides have been involved in making the visiting dignitaries know about the facts and heritage related to temples and sites.

The dignitaries will leave for Ayodhya on Wednesday, 15 December, after the completion of their Kashi yatra. The visiting dignitaries have become part of the celebrations of the dham along with their families in a unique way ahead of the 2022 assembly polls to be held in Uttar Pradesh.