Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning paid tribute to the 15th-century poet Saint Guru Ravidas, a Dalit icon on his birthday – an occasion last month that prompted the electoral commission to State polls in Punjab pushed from Feb. 14 to Feb. 20.

The prime minister was seen paying tribute to the 15th-century saint at a temple in the capital Karol Bagh. In a statement yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “proud that the government has absorbed the spirit of this saint at every step”. A video from this morning also shows him participating in a “kirtan”.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi was also among the leaders paying tribute. “Promised at Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan mandir in Varanasi on the occasion of Sri Guru Ravidas Jayanti. Let us embrace his teachings on love, compassion, mutual tolerance and the oneness of humanity,” tweeted the Punjab CM.

In Uttar Pradesh, where Dalits make up about 20 percent of the population, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra remember Dalit idols. The state is also voting in seven phases in the February-March election.

In his tweet, Yogi Adityanath lashed out at the opposition using a “twin-engine” dig – a term rivals have used to refer to the BJP governments in the central and state.

“Today, in Varanasi, on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti, I will be attending ‘Seer Govardhan’ karyakram. Under Prime Minister Modi, the twin-engine government is committed to developing the birthplace of the saint,” he tweeted in Hindi Wen said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi also celebrated the occasion in Varanasi.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times