Paying last respect to Pramukh Swami Maharaj at Sarangpur in Gujarat on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became emotional saying that people may have lost a Guru, but he lost a father.
Head of the Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Sanstha (BAPS), Pramukh Swami passed away on Saturday due to chest infection and critical heart situation at BAPS temple campus in newly carved Botad district. He was 95 years old. PM Modi who considers him as mentor, made it a point to pay tribute personally and flown from Delhi after attending official function of Independence Day at Red Fort.
The Prime Minister termed Pramukh Swami as the best disciple too saying that Pramukh Swami fulfilled his Guru Yogiji Maharaj's wish to by developing Akshardham Temple on the bank of River Yamuna. Sharing memoirs with him Modi said that when Akshardham temple in Delhi was to be inaugurated, Pramukh Swami insisted him to sit for Puja in consecration ceremony. "Despite there were many important people invited there, Swamiji not only wanted me to sit in Puja but he gave some money to ensure that I would also contribute in form of donation. He knew that I didn't have anything in my pocket," he added.
"You may be surprised to know that, Pramukh Swami used to call for video of my speech when he got some time. Not only that after watching he used to correct me and suggest that I should not speak certain things," said Modi, adding that conceivably not his superiors or even any newspaper drawn attention, but Pramukh Swami did, not once but more than a dozen times. This was his attachment towards constructing a life of a person, he said. Modi used to take blessings of Pramukh Swami ahead of taking oaths as Gujarat Chief Minister.
Earlier, in the afternoon Modi reached at Sardar Patel airport in Ahmedabad in a special plane where he was received by Governor OP Kohli and other senior officials. From there he took helicopter to reach Sarangpur. Gujarat Chief Minister who was in Morbi town for State level Independence Day function, directly reached Sarangpur ahead of Modi.
In a short notice too, adequate security arrangements were made in wake of PM's visit at Sarangpur. As many as eight SRP companies, four Quick Response Teams, eight IPS officers, 13 DYSPs, three Chetak Commando teams, four bomb disposal teams were deployed at Sarangpur temple complex.