Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday began his one-day tour of the State by offering prayers to Lord Ganesh at Lokmanya Seva Sangh Tilak Mandir in Vile Parle, which was set up around 100 years ago.
Mr. Modi urged Mumbaikars to perform Ganesh visarjan without polluting water bodies. He said a lot of plastic waste ends up in the sea during the festival and all citizens must resolve to prevent water pollution for the sake of the country and work hard to fulfil it. The Prime Minister exhorted people to make the Mithi river and other water bodies plastic-free and set an example to the rest of the country.
Remembering Tilak
Mr. Modi also garlanded the bust of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who had started the Ganesh festival as an annual public celebration to galvanise Indians against the British. The Prime Minister also garlanded the bust of noted Marathi litterateur P.L. Deshpande to mark his birth centenary.
Mr. Modi said, “Before coming here to Vile Parle, I had the good fortune of taking Ganapati Bappa’s darshan. This is the 100th year of Lokmanya Seva Sangh. What Lokmanya Tilak created to bind the society together is a roar that reverberates across the country and the world even today.”
Vile Parle BJP MLA Parag Alavani said the Ganesh idol at Lokmanya Seva Sangh is celebrating its centenary. Mr. Alavani said, “Mr. Modi asked how many times in a day do people who visit the area dedicated to Deshpande at the centre laugh.” The MLA quoted the Prime Minister’s remark and said, “ Pu La Deshpande ka naam bole aur hase nahi to kaise chalega [How can Deshpande’s name itself not evoke laughter?].”
Mr. Modi also interacted with officials of the Lokmanya Seva Sangh, who presented him with a portrait of Tilak and books on the activities of the centre and the history of Vile Parle. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and State BJP unit president Chandrakant Patil were among those present when Mr. Modi offered prayers to the Ganesh idol.
(With PTI inputs)
