Gujarat Chief Minister Narenda Modi is scheduled to meet the Puri Shankaracharya and the Gajapati Maharaja during his visit to Puri on July 16, State BJP leaders said here on Saturday.
BJP State president KV Singh Deo said Modi’s Odisha visit is totally nonpolitical as he would seek the blessings of lord Jagannath. He is a devotee of the lord and used to perform the Chhera Pahanra' (sweeping of the chariots) for the Car Festival in Ahmedabad,” he said.
However, the visit by Modi, recently appointed as the BJP Election Campaign Committee Chairman, is nonetheless considered as politically significant for Odisha as it is expected to set the ball rolling for the BJP's election campaign in the State. Although no public meeting has been planned as part of Modi's itinerary, the BJP leader will meet the party leaders here.
Modi's proposed meeting with Puri seer Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and Gajapati king Dibyasingha Deb, too, is important as the duo are considered major Hindu religious figures.
Meanwhile, according to the programme for Modi's trip released by BJP State leaders, he would arrive at 9.15 am and depart at 6 pm. He would have Darshan of lord Jagannath at the Gundicha Temple and Goddesses lakshmi and Bimala at the Shree Mandir. He would spend around 90 minutes in the two temples, the party sources added.