UDUPI: Conferring the title ‘Bharata Bhagya Vidhata’ on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Udupi on Friday, Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Paryaya Sri Puthige Mutt urged the former to take steps to develop the temple town as a major pilgrimage centre, similar to the development in Varanasi, by implementing a corridor plan.
The seer said that an ‘Udupi Corridor’ would ensure overall development of the region. Modi, however, in his speech, did not mention any region-specific development project, but said Udupi is special for him for a reason.
“Udupi has been the karmabhoomi of the governance model of Jan Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party,” he said.
He recalled that in 1968, the people of Udupi elected Jan Sangh’s VS Acharya to the municipal council, and with this Udupi laid the foundation of a new governance model. He noted that the cleanliness campaign—Swacch Bharath - was adopted by Udupi five decades ago. These campaigns have become part of national development and national priority, guiding the country forward, the PM said.
Modi further said that when so many people recite a sacred text like the Bhagavad Gita, a special energy emerges that gives the mind and intellect a new vibration and a new strength. He stated that today’s occasion of one lakh voices reciting the Gita has become an opportunity to experience the strength of collective consciousness. He said that this event has become a meaningful effort to connect the next generation with the Bhagavad Gita.
Modi said teachings of Lord Krishna are practical in every age and added the words of the Gita guide not only individuals but also the policies of the nation. Lord Krishna also gave the mantra of helping the poor, and this very inspiration forms the basis of schemes like Ayushman Bharat and PM-AWAS, Modi said.
Emphasising that through Operation Sindoor, the nation has witnessed this resolve, Modi highlighted that in the terrorist attack at Pahalgam, many countrymen lost their lives, including people from Karnataka. He stated that earlier, when such terrorist attacks occurred, governments would sit idle, but this is a new India that neither bows before anyone nor falters from its duty to protect its citizens. “India knows how to establish peace and also how to safeguard peace’’ he said.
India’s Sudarshan Chakra will destroy enemies: PM
PM Modi said that Lord Krishna delivered the message of the Gita on the battlefield and it teaches us that to establish peace and truth, the end of oppressors is also important. He said that this is the core sentiment of the nation’s security policy. He noted that India speaks of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and also reiterates the mantra Dharmo Rakshati
Rakshitah. He said that from the Red Fort, the message of Lord Krishna’s compassion is conveyed, and from the same ramparts the announcement of Mission Sudarshan Chakra is also made. Modi said that Mission Sudarshan Chakra means building a protective wall around the country’s key locations, and if the enemy dares to breach it, then India’s Sudarshan Chakra will destroy them.