Fact Check PM Modi or PM Nehru Who was the first Prime Minister to Visit Kumbh
Fact Check PM Modi or PM Nehru Who was the first Prime Minister to Visit Kumbh
Monday, February 25, 2019
Fact Check Who was the first Prime Minister of India to Visit Kumbh?
On January 24, 2019 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a holy dip in the Ganges in the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Uttar Pradesh.
After that BJP IT cell head tweeted that PM Modi is the first “first head of state to visit Kumbh in all these years.”
As per Indian constitution Indian Prime Minister is not the head of the state. Indian Prime Minister is the leader of the cabinet of ministers and the head of the executive branch of the government.
Then who is the head of Indian State?
The president of India is the head of the state
The first head of the state to visit Kumbh was the first Indian president Rajendra Prasad. Current President Ram Nath Kovind had himself tweeted that Rajendra Prasad attended the Kumbh Mela in 1953.
Kovind tweeted that he was the second President of the country to visit the Kumbh, after Rajendra Prasad. Prasad had visited the first Maha Kumbh organized in independent India in 1954. He also camped at the Mela ground as a kalpwasi.
Now Let us fact check Is it true that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Prime Minister of India who visited and took dip in the Kumbh Mela?
Answer – No Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not the first Prime Minister of India who visited, took dip in the Kumbh Mela.
Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister who visited Kumbh first.
Jawaharlal Nehru was born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad in British India.
Associate professor of South Asian and World History at UNSW in Sydney Kama Maclean, in her book titled "Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad from 1776-1954" published a photo of Jawaharlal Nehru from the 1954 Kumbh. The photo, which appeared on The Leader on 21 January 1954, features Nehru at the sangam on Paush Purnima.
On page no. 196 Kama Maclean wrote following -
In the lead up to the mela, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru became personally involved in the arrangements and visited the site, even though it was technically the jurisdiction of the UP government. On another visit tot he mela on Paush Purnima, in the presence of media photographers, he paused to dip his hand into the sacred waters of the sangam, which the media construed as him performing aachaman [ a purification ritual done with the right hand.] The photograph makes it clear that Pandit Nehru was not performing the rite as he was wearing his shoes at the time.
However his purposeful touching of the waters might be read as a form of political rhetoric as a way of reaching out to a specific audience.
The leader reported that Nehru's presence in the mela area was the foremost attraction to the pilgrims who were seen running this way or that wherever Congress Chief Nehru went, to have darshan of their beloved leader. This adulation of Nehru was not confined to the mela area alone as with previous festivals, it was noted that Anand Bhavan the home of the Prime Minister has almost become another place.
But is it really important to discuss PM of India visited temple or mosque or Kumbh?
No it is not important to discuss such things. India is not a Hindu nation. India is a secular democratic nation.
Prime Minister of India can visit where ever he wishes , but media and others no one should use such visits for politicla purposes.
Photo Jawaharlal Nehru at Kumbh -
Photo Narendra Modi at Kumbh -
Kumbh President Kovind Tweet Photo -
Reality views by sm -
Tags - First Prime Minister of India Visit Kumbah Jawaharlal Nehru Narendra Modi India Uttar Pradesh