PM invokes Rajasthan's heroes, strikes a chord at his rally

Prime minister Narendra Modi today touched a chord with his audience at a rally in the Rajasthan capital by invoking the legends of the land.

He mentioned Rajput ruler Maharana Pratap, Jat king Surajmal and mystic poet Mirabai at a public meeting attended by a large number of beneficiaries of the welfare schemes run by the Centre and the state government.

Stories of the courage of Maharana Pratap, the valour of Maharaja Surajmal, the sacrifice of Panna Dhai, Hadi Rani and Amrita Devi and the devotion of Mirabai are a part of life in Rajasthan, he said. Forts, sand dunes, colourful turbans and the dialect are the identity of the state, he said. Panna Devi was a legendary nursemaid, Hadi Rani killed herself so that her husband could go to war and Amrita Devi sacrificed her life to save trees. Modi thanked the people for showering their blessings on him.

He said the next year was important as the state of Rajasthan will complete 70 years of its formation.

The prime minister indicated that the Centre will consider favourably a request by Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje to declare Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal river link plan as a national project.

The project will provide irrigation facilities over an area of two lakh hectare and drinking water for 13 districts in east Rajasthan. Raje said it was first of its kind rally in the country where the beneficiaries of government schemes were the participants.

The venue was divided into various blocks, displaying separate colours to mark out the beneficiaries of the different schemes. There are about 4.5 crore beneficiaries in the state and nearly 2.5 lakh of them were brought to the state capital to attend the rally.