Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Sant Ravidas temple and unveiled a statue of Sant Ravidas on Friday in Varanasi. The Prime Minister along with chief minister Yogi Adityanath paid a floral tribute to Sant Guru Ravidas. Addressing the gathering, PM Modi said caste bias is destroying humanity.

PM Modi said he is taking this opportunity to take forward Sant Ravidas’s resolutions and the opportunity to serve lakhs of his followers. He said on Guru’s Janmteerth, serving all his followers is nothing short of a fortune for him. The Prime Minister said as an MP of Varanasi it is his special responsibility to welcome everyone to fulfill his duty on this holy day.

He said he is going to launch development projects worth hundreds of crores of rupees. In his speech PM Modi said India’s history is witness to the birth of many saints, sages and remarkable individuals who became the guiding force when the nation faced challenges. He said Sant Ravidas emerged as an important figure during the Bhakti movement and revitalised a fragmented and feeble India.

The Prime Minister praised Sant Ravidas for emphasising the significance of freedom to society and for his efforts to unite the community across all social lines. He added Sant Ravidas spoke on issues like discrimination, untouchability and high caste. PM Modi said his administration is advancing Sant Ravidas’s principles and said the BJP government serves everyone and its schemes are inclusive.

He added the ethos of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, and Sabka effort has become the guiding principle to engage the people of India. The Prime Minister emphasised that equality necessitates prioritising the marginalised communities. He said over the past 10 years, efforts have been made towards addressing the needs of those who were earlier excluded from mainstream development.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal would be arrested in the next two to three days, said Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj during a press conference in Delhi on Friday. Adding that, he said the BJP was worried over the alliance between AAP and Congress.

Addressing the press, Bharadwaj claimed that the BJP has warned the party of allying with Congress in different States. If AAP still does so, Kejriwal would be jailed and there is only one way to keep Kejriwal out of arrest, and that is not to ally with Congress, the AAP leader added.

Bharadwaj further said that his party received the information that Kejriwal would be arrested, following which, he asked the Centre why it was showing such haste. Bharadwaj also said that his party is aware that a notice under CrPC 41A is ready to be served to Kejriwal. And it’ll be handed over to him today and he will be arrested in the coming 2 to 3 days.

Taking a swipe at BJP, he said that they can arrest Kejriwal if they want to but the alliance between AAP and Congress will still take place.

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi, too, hit out at the BJP and told the Centre to send as many notices as they wish, as many summons as they wish, arrest every leader of AAP, hang AAP leaders by the noose, but the party will not be bent down by their threats. AAP has fought for this country’s republic and Constitution and AAP will continue to do so in any circumstances.

On this, AAP leader Gopal Rai said that BJP need no basis but whosoever will speak against, BJP will act against them. From Delhi to Punjab the way roads have been blocked and converted into cantonments shows the frustration of the Centre.

He added whenever there was any step taken in Delhi by AAP that could create danger for the BJP, they acted.

Another protesting farmer died at the Khanauri border on Thursday night, taking the death toll of the protesting farmers to 5. The 62-year-old farmer, Darshan Singh fell unconscious at around 11 pm on Thursday at the protest site. He was taken to the nearby Patran community health centre (CHC) where he was referred to a higher institute by the doctors. He was rushed to government Rajendra hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Darshan Singh hailed from Amargarh village in Bathinda district and had been staying at the Khanauri border since February 13. According to reports the Singh’s family owns nearly 8 acres of land and is under a debt of Rs 8 lakh. One month back Darshan Singh had solemnized the marriage of his son. The farmer organization Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur gave their condolences and demanded compensation to the bereaved family.

The general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur, Resham Singh said the government must concede to demands to prevent more farmers from dying at borders. Lakhvir Singh, a relative of the deceased farmer said Darshan singh is survived by his wife Parmjit Kaur, a daughter, and a 24-year-old son who was married only 20 days ago.

He said Darshan Singh’s body has been kept in the mortuary of the government Rajindra hospital in Patiala and a decision over its post mortem is being taken. Bharatiya Kisan Union Leader Rakesh Tikait on Thursday said the protesting farmers led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) will observe a Black Friday on Friday after the death of a farmer at Khanauri Border crossing in Sangrur district, Punjab, during the ongoing protests.

The BKU leader said a tractor march will be held by SKU on highways towards the national capital. The Delhi Chalo march has been delayed for two days to take stock of the ongoing situation on Shambhu border in Haryana and further decisions will be made afterwards.