Narendra Modi to address rally, lay foundation stone of Sant Kabir Academy in UP's Maghar district on Thursday

Gorakhpur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a public rally and lay the foundation stone of a research institute at Maghar in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday to mark the 500th death anniversary of Kabir Das, the mystic poet and saint. According to an official statement issued in New Delhi, the prime minister will offer a ‘chadar’ at the ‘mazaar’ of Kabir. [caption id="" align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] He will visit the Sant Kabir cave and unveil a plaque to mark the laying of foundation stone of the Kabir Academy, which will highlight the great saint’s teachings and philosophy, the statement read. During his monthly radio address “Mann Ki Baat” on Sunday, the prime minister had recalled the contribution of 15th century poet and saint Kabir Das in dispelling superstitions. Kabir Das preferred to breathe his last in Maghar, despite the common belief that whoever dies there does not reach heaven, he had said. “Just as the prime minister gave a message from the Gorakhnath peeth in Gorakhpur in 2014, he will give a message from the nirvan sthali of Kabir Das this time,” zonal vice president of the BJP, Satyendra Sinha said. He said around two lakh people are expected to attend the rally on Thursday. Party workers had reached out to people in seven district in view of the rally, he said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will receive the prime minster at the Gorakhpur airport. The two leaders would leave for Maghar in a chopper, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) district unit president Jarnadan Tiwari said. The chief minster had been personally reviewing preparations for the prime minister’s visit. Adityanath had also held meetings with the Sant Kabir Nagar administration officials, party leaders and office bearers in this regard. The prime minister will be taken round the mausoleum of Kabir Das. He would also lay the foundation stone of the Sant Kabir Academy, a research institute expected to come up at a cost of Rs. 24 crore, Sinha said. His visit will give a message of social harmony as Sant Kabir stood for equality, he added.