PURI, July 17, 2013: Seeking divine intervention to ensure BJP's triumph in the 2014 polls, Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered prayers to Lord Jagannath at Gundicha temple, and goddesses Bimala and Mahalaxmi at Jagannath Temple here.

Modi struck an emotional chord with the people of the state by addressing media persons in Odia outside the Jagannath temple. He read out Odia from a handout written in Devnagari script. Modi said he was overwhelmed at catching a glimpse of the deities.

While Modi said he sought the blessings of Lord Jagannath for the prosperity of the nation, his priest Raghunath Gochikar, who solemnized the puja for him at both temples, said, "I prayed to the deities to bring BJP back in power. I also prayed for the wellbeing of Modiji."

Even though Puri was packed with pilgrims in view of the ongoing Rath Yatra festivity, the district administration closed the doors of Gundicha temple and Jagannath temple for 30 minutes each to facilitate Modi's visit. "Since the Gujarat chief minister comes under Z-plus security category, we had to restrict the movement of pilgrims in both the temple. But we tried our best to ensure that the devotees faced minimum inconvenience," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said.

Though Modi's darshan in the temple was incident-free, his cavalcade, consisting of 15 vehicles, had to wade through knee-deep waterlogged Grand Road because of heavy rains since morning. Rains, however, stopped a few minutes before Modi arrived at the beach town.

Modi affirmed that Odisha and Gujarat share a strong bond in different areas. Saying that Lord Jagannath had always blessed Gujarat and its people, Modi showered heaps of praise on the people of Odisha, residing in Gujarat. "The people of Odisha have immensely contributed to Gujarat's economic development. There would be no block or tehsil in Odisha which has not sent its people to Gujarat," Modi said.

He added that both Odisha and Gujarat are coastal states, having been blessed with themagnificent sun temples of Konark and Modhera. He thanked the skilled manpower and the traditional aesthetic sense of Odisha's artisans who have made Surat's textile industry the best in the world.

While police had a trying time negotiating huge crowds at Gundicha temple and Jagannath temple, Modi did not disappoint his supporters. He waved at them and reciprocated to their chants of 'Jai Jagannath' and 'Jai Sri Ram'. Senior BJP leaders, including party's state president K V Singhdeo, accompanied him to the temples.

Source: The Times of India, DT. July 17, 2013.