PM Modi, Amit Shah hand urns with Vajpayee’s ashes to BJP party chiefs to immerse in rivers across India
The BJP has decided to take out ‘asthi kalash yatras’ in all districts and immerse the ashes in rivers across the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders handed urns with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ashes to party presidents from across the country at a function in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Party chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj as well as members of Vajpayee’s family were present at the event held in the BJP headquarters here.
The BJP has decided to take out ‘asthi kalash yatras’ in all districts and immerse the ashes in rivers across the country.
The yatra was being organised as party workers and people in the country wanted to pay tribute to the late prime minister, who died last week after prolonged illness at the age of 93, party leaders said.
Processions will start from state capitals and will pass through all blocks, they said.
BJP president of Uttar Pradesh Mahendra Nath Pandey said that the urns carrying the ashes of the late party stalwart will be escorted by ministers of the state government and party’s office-bearers.
State Minister Jai Prakash Nishad will accompany the ashes to Gorakhpur where it will be immersed in Rapti river on the Rajghat on Saturday in presence of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Cabinet Minister Swamy Prasad Maurya.
Minister Neelkanth Tiwari will be doing the immersion of ashes on Friday at Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. State unit chief Mahendra Nath Pandey will also be present here.
The ashes of Vajpayee will be immersed in the holy Saryu river in the holy town of Ayodhya on Friday in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma.
The urn will be taken to Jhansi for immersion in Betwa river by Minister of State for Transport Swatantra Dev Singh and the event will take place in presence of Union Minister Uma Bharati and state’s Industry Minister Satish Mahana over the weekend.
MoS Mohsin Raza will take the ashes for immersion at Bithoor Ghat in Kanpur on the banks of river Ganges.
Others have been assigned to take the ashes of the late poet-Prime Minister to other prominent rivers.
