Uttar Pradesh BJP plans gala celebration in Varanasi on Narendra Modi's 67th birthday

There was quite a media frenzy when over 1.6 lakh students from Varanasi were told that they would have to attend school on 17 September, a Sunday on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 67th birthday, on Sunday. But the Uttar Pradesh government has since clarified that state primary schools will not be open on the holiday.

रविवार 17 सितम्बर, 2017 को प्रदेश के प्राथमिक विद्यालयों को खोले जाने का कोई प्रस्ताव राज्य सरकार के स्तर पर विचाराधीन नहीं है।

— Government of UP (@UPGovt) September 8, 2017

Nonetheless, the celebrations do not end there for Modi’s upcoming birthday as the Uttar Pradesh BJP unit has gone all out with a slew of programmes to celebrate the occasion. The state’s BJP wing will be organising celebrations in schools a day prior to Modi’s birthday, on 16 September. Over 130 Varanasi government schools will have to attend a lecture by party leaders and MLAs on “public welfare schemes and achievements” of the government, and they will also be given “gift packets” of sweets and stationary. According to the party state co in-charge, Sunil Ojha, the celebrations will be held from 8 to 11 am. It is interesting to note that Varanasi district’s Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Brij Bhushan Chaudhary told Indian Express, “I have not received any application so far from BJP for permission to hold any such programme in government primary schools. Once they submit an application, it will be considered.” In retaliation, the party’s Varanasi Mahanagar president Pradeep Agrahari said that the primary schools in question are government schools and hence they (the BJP workers) do not need permission to hold celebrations there. Whether this back and forth for permission will come into play during the premature birthday celebrations is worth looking out for. [caption id=“attachment_3890295” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] BJP spokesperson for Kashi, Sanjay Bhardwaj said that it would be mandatory for schools to place a picture of the Modi at the programme. UP BJP spokesperson Chandramohan told the Economic Times that children are the future of the country and “there is no better time to groom them.” Anupma Jaiswal, minister of state for basic education (independent charge), told the Times of India that this would be an opportunity for BJP MLAs in the state to go to one school each and “take stock of the facilities in the schools” while the celebrations take place. “MLAs who have adopted schools in their region will go there and promote prime minister Modi’s message of cleanliness as a part of the celebrations,” she said. Satish Mahana, minister for industrial development told the Economic Times that all senior officials, not just MLAs and party leaders, but even senior police officials and bureaucrats, will be “encouraged” by the state government to visit the schools. As if that was not enough fanfare, the Indian Express report adds that in honour of the ‘beti bachao, beti padhao’ scheme, a programme will be organised at Assi ghat on 16 September. Add to that the various Swachh Bharat initiatives the party has planned on Modi’s birthday too. Media sources report that party workers will participate in cleanliness drives across the constituency on 17 September and it is compulsory for workers to clean all crossings in Varanasi during the day. Come evening, the crossings will be adorned with 67 earthen lamps, Modi’s age, of course. Driving the age point further, the party women workers will decorate exactly 67 ghats and release earthen lamps in river Ganga. Free medical camps will also reportedly be organised in the city. Recently, the Union human resource development ministry also sent a directive to educational institutions to have a ‘cleanliness fortnight’ i.e. a ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ from  1 to 15 September, reports the Hindustan Times. Not just schools, vice-chancellors of colleges were also told to organise activities in their universities and to make sure affiliated colleges participated in these events. To ensure that Modi lives up to his social media prowess , the team of the second most followed leader on Twitter has already devised a hashtag ‘ #NamoBirthday’ to mark the occasion. “Write your wishes with hashtag #NamoBirthday as comments below by logging in directly or through Facebook, Twitter or Google+. You can also SMS your wishes to toll-free number 9227411117,” the leader’s website NarendraModi.in states. Modi celebrated his 66th birthday in Gujarat, a highlight of which was when he spent time with his mother. Some argue that even these undertakings were a calculated move . Economic Times adds that BJP has 311 MLAs in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, which could explain the grand-scale celebration.