KOLKATA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a sudden boat ride on the Hooghly River and shared his feelings on his X handle amid busy schedules, addressing poll rallies in different parts of West Bengal.
Expressing his feelings, the Prime Minister said, the divine waters of the Hooghly carry the timeless spirit of an entire civilisation.
PM Modi had asserted that he was committed towards the development of West Bengal during the first phase elections in 152 out of 294 assembly constituencies in the State held in 16 districts on Thursday.
He also wished prosperity for the ‘great Bengali people’.
He also posted a few photographs of his river trip on X, in which he is seen seated on a wooden boat with a camera in hand, and the iconic Howrah Bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu, which connects Kolkata and eastern states, are visible in the background.
"Tried my hand at photographing this great river. Also caught a close glimpse of the Vidyasagar Setu and Howrah Bridge," the Prime Minister said on X. "For every Bengali, the Ganga occupies a very special place", he said. His posts went viral on social media.
"This morning in Kolkata, I spent some time on the banks of the Hooghly River, an opportunity to express gratitude to Maa Ganga," Modi said.
The Prime Minister said he had the opportunity to meet boatmen, whose hardworking nature is admirable. A photo of Modi hugging the boatman Gouranga Biswas also turned viral.
Bengal BJP sources said Modi spent the night at Lok Bhavan after he had a roadshow from Howrah to Kolkata on Thursday evening. He also met the monks at Belur Math in Howrah, the same day.
The Prime Minister is actively campaigning for the BJP in West Bengal. According to a news agency, one Md Iftikar Ahmed owns the boat in which Modi rode. Seven such boats were hired from him for the Prime Minister’s boat ride on the Hooghly River.
“I didn’t have any prior information about the Prime Minister’s programme. I came to know about it five minutes before he rode one of my seven boats. One person suddenly met me this morning and asked me for boats for the Prime Minister. I am very happy that he rode my boat,” elated Ahmed told the agency.