Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his first visit to his birthplace Vadnagar since occupying the top post, held a roadshow and said the town had taught him to drink and digest the venom spewed at him over the years.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a medical college and launching an immunization programme, he recalled his journey from to Delhi from Gujarat, where he was the chief minister for 13 years from 2001. He also went to the BN High School, where he studied, and smeared sand from the premises on his forehead.
In an apparent reference to the attacks on him during his tenure as Gujarat CM after the riots of 2002 in the state, Modi said that he has managed to serve the nation with the blessings of Lord Shiva since 2001 despite some people "spewing venom" at him during these years.
“Vadnagar has taught me to drink poison,” he said, while noting that his birthplace is the land of Shiva, like Kashi (Varanasi), his Lok Sabha constituency.
"I started my journey from Vadnagar and now I have reached Kashi. Just like Vadnagar, Kashi is also the town of Bhole Baba. Bhole Baba's blessings gave me immense strength, and this strength is the biggest gift I have received from this land," he said.
"The blessings of Bhole Baba (Lord Shiva) gave me the strength to drink and digest poison. Due to this ability, I was able to counter all those who spewed venom against me since 2001. This ability gave me the strength to serve the motherland with dedication over these many years," he said.
On the second day of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Modi also visited the Hatkeshwar Mahadev temple where he performed a puja along with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
“I am touched by the immense love showered by the people of Vadnagar today. It gave me new energy to serve the nation with more zeal," Modi said, addressing a public gathering after the roadshow. "I saw many faces among the people who came to greet me. Those faces brought back many memories of my childhood," he said.
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