)
India's Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi on Saturday offered prayers on the banks of the river Ganges, after making a visit to the holy city of Varanasi, where he was greeted by thousands of supporters.
Modi performed a series of Hindu rituals to seek blessings ahead of his swearing-in, which is expected next week.
ALSO READ: Modi arrives in Varanasi amid tight security
ALSO READ: Modi arrives in Varanasi amid tight security
As priests and onlookers chanted devotional songs, Modi lit a traditional oil lamp and sat atop a flower-decked dais on the bank of the river Ganges.
Addressing a gathering at Dashashwamedh Ghat, Modi said: "Did you know what Neil Armstrong wrote in his diary? Armstrong wrote, 'when I was going to the moon, I was an astronaut but while I was coming back, I realised, I was a minuscule part of the universe'. Similarly, when I came here I was just a candidate, now I am a part of Varanasi."
He went on add that the decisive mandate in Varanasi reflective of people’s need for change.
"I bow to this holy land of Varanasi. When I came to Varanasi I came as a candidate but when I filled my form I became a son of this place," he said.
ALSO READ: Modi to be formally elected as leader of BJP Parliamentary Party on May 20
ALSO READ: Modi to be formally elected as leader of BJP Parliamentary Party on May 20
He added that for the first time after Independence a non-Congress party has been given majority on its own.
The BJP leader won Varanasi Lok Sabha seat by a huge margin of about 370,000 votes. Modi was pitted against AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal who lost to the BJP strongman.
The Varanasi administration had rolled out the red carpet welcome to the PM-designate after having denied him permission for an election rally on May 10.
Varanasi was a fortress with a special team of the Gujarat Police carrying out inspections of all areas that Modi was likely to pass through.
