‘Maa ke jaane ke baad…’: Near ‘maa Ganga’ in Varanasi, PM Modi gets emotional remembering mother Heeraben

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who filed his Lok Sabha elections 2024 nomination from Varanasi on Tuesday, got emotional while mentioning the relationship he has had with River Ganga after the passing of his mother, Heeraben. PM Modi's mother died in 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

“Main anubhav karta tha jab meri party nein mujhe yahan chunav ladne ko kaha, mere mann ne kaha ‘maa ganga ne bulaya hai’. Das saal ka mera jo yahan se nata raha hai, toh meri jo ek purani duniya thi usse usne mujhe link kar diya hai aur phir main ek baar ganga ki god mein sama gaya…aur isiliye main hamesha ek bhav rakhta hu ki maa ganga ne mujhe god liya hai and maa ke jaane ke baad, mujhe ye bhav aur zyada teevr ho gaya hai,” PM Modi said.

Rough translation: “I experienced that when my party asked me to fight elections from here (Varanasi), my heart said ‘maa ganga ne bulaya hai’. The 10-year-old bond with Varanasi has linked me to my old life….I have always had a feeling that mother Ganga has adopted me and after my mother's death, this feeling has become more intense.”

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In a post in Hindi on X before filing his nomination, PM Modi said, "My relationship with my Kashi is amazing, inseparable and incomparable... all I can say is that it cannot be expressed in words!"

PM Modi also recalled when he visited his mother, Heeraben Modi, while fondly recalling the wisdom she imparted to him.

"When my mother turned 100 years old, and I went to meet her on her birthday, she told me to keep two things in mind: do not take bribes and do not forget the poor. Work wisely, live a pure life," PM Modi was quoted as saying by India Today.

PM Modi filed his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday, an event attended by several NDA leaders including Union ministers and chief ministers in a show of strength as he seeks a third term from the constituency.

Before filing his nomination, PM Modi offered prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat and performed Ganga aarti at the ghat amid chanting of Vedic mantras and then took a cruise ride to reach the Namo Ghat.

From there, PM Modi offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple. He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.