Narendra Modi on Wednesday became the first Prime Minister to join the famous Kullu Dussehra celebrations in its 400-year history. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), “The Prime Minister was welcomed and facilitated upon his arrival in Kullu. This was followed by the arrival of Bhagwan Raghunath ji and it marked the commencement of the Rath Yatra.” The PM also waded through the crowd and reached the Rath to take the blessings of Lord Raghunath.

This time the International Dussehra in Kullu festival will be celebrated from October 5 to 11. The festival is unique in the sense that it is the congregation of more than 300 deities of the Valley.

Earlier, the PM virtually sounded the poll bugle in Himachal Pradesh where Assembly elections are scheduled later this year saying that the previous Governments only laid foundation stones and forgot about the actual projects once the elections were over.

He asserted that development in the State has been possible because its people voted the BJP to power both at Centre and in the State.

At a rally held at Bilaspur, where Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur presented Modi with a “Ransingha”, a trumpet-like traditional instrument which the PM played and later said, “This marks the beginning of each future victory.” He said the BJP Government not only laid the stones but also inaugurated the development projects.

He addressed the meeting at the Luhnu ground after inaugurating an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital and a hydro engineering college, the foundations stones for which were laid by him in 2017.

Modi said Bilaspur has got a “double gift” of development with the inauguration of the AIIMS and the Hydro Engineering College. “I am fortunate to have been a part of Himachal Pradesh’s development journey,” he said, adding that development in the State has been possible because its people voted the BJP to power both at Centre and in the State.

Modi began his speech with the slogan “Jai Mata Naina Deviji”, the temple to which is located in Bilaspur district itself and also extended Dussehra greetings.  He said Himachal Pradesh plays a crucial role in ‘Rashtra Raksha’ (national security) and now with the new AIIMS in Bilaspur, it will also play a pivotal role in ‘Jeevan Raksha’ (saving lives).  Modi said there were only three medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh in 2014. Eight more medical colleges and the AIIMS have been set up in the last eight years, he added. He said the State can benefit much from medical tourism.