Rajapaksa to offer prayers at KVT, Buddhist shrines in Sarnath today

VARANASI: In his first foreign diplomatic tour after assuming charge as the island nation’s head, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa will visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and Buddhist shrines in Sarnath on Sunday.
Rajapaksa arrived in New Delhi on Friday on a five-day visit to India. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. The two leaders discussed various issues including bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the district administration was busy with preparations for Rajapaksa’s visit on Saturday. Varanasi district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said, “The Sri Lankan Prime Minster will make only two stops in the city following his arrival on Sunday. He will offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and will head to Sarnath late afternoon. After staying the night, he will leave for Bodh Gaya on Monday morning.”
ADG (Varanasi zone) Brij Bhushan and other officials took stock of security arrangements at Kashi Vishwanath Temple and in Sarnath. The culture department also conducted rehearsals for events to be organised along roads during Rajapaksa’s visit.
Apart of the Sri Lankan PM, Varanasi and its neighbouring districts are expected to witness a slew of VIP visits till February-end.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath will be in Varanasi for two days, starting Monday, to review preparations for PM Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to the city on February 16. President Ram Nath Kovind is also expected to stay in the city for a night after visiting Sonbhadra in February last week.
On his proposed visit, Modi will inaugurate and launch various projects worth Rs 1,210 crore. He will also unveil a statue of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyayas at Padao and inaugurate the Lehartara-Chowkaghat flyover.
Sharma said Governor Anandiben Patel will be in the city on a personal visit on Monday. “During his visit, the CM will visit Padao to inspect the statue of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, apart from reviewing other preparations,” the district magistrate said.
Yogi is likely to visit Varanasi on the occasion of Mahashivratri on February 21, said Sharma.
Following Modi’s victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, his parliamentary constituency Varanasi has welcomed the heads of several nations including Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeire to its scenic ghats.