PM Modi washes feet of sanitation workers at Kumbh in Prayagraj

india

Updated: Feb 24, 2019 18:36 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dip at the Sangam and offered prayers during his visit to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Modi also felicitated Swachha Grahis, fire department personnel, security personnel for their dedicated services in Kumbh Mela. Modi washed the feet of the sanitation workers.

Later he said the moment of washing the sanitation workers’ feet “will stay with me forever”.

“It was a big responsibility to keep clean an area where 20-22 crore people had gathered. You have proved there is nothing impossible in the world. I salute each and every person making a contribution towards a Swachh Bharat,” he said.

Earlier, dressed in an orange kurta and wrapped in a saffron shawl, the Prime Minister participated in the ‘Triveni Puja’ conducted by a group of priests. He offered milk, fruits, a red sari and chandan to the holy rivers.

Amid the chanting of hymns, Modi also did a brief ‘Sankalp’ for which he later offered some ‘dakshina’ to the priests.

He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Mahendra Nath Pandey.

He later performed the ‘aarti’ and interacted with the priests who conducted the puja.

A sacred thread was tied to his right wrist as a symbol of the blessings that come from propitiating the holy rivers.

Earlier, he arrived in Prayagraj in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper.

He was received by Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh and district officials at the helipad.