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‘Har Har Mahadev’: Andhra CM switches to Hindi, wins over Varanasi crowd, Rajnath, Yogi
Varanasi, Sep 17 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu surprised and impressed the audience at a Varanasi event on Thursday with his repeated switches to Hindi, drawing loud applause and slogans from political workers and eliciting praise from senior leaders from the Hindi heartland.
From opening his address with “Har Har Mahadev”, “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram” to delivering short Hindi punchlines at crucial moments, Naidu used the language to connect with an audience that included senior Uttar Pradesh leaders, Union ministers, legislators and political workers gathered to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday and mark his 25 years of dedicated public service.
“Aaj main Kashi ki pavitra dharti par khada hoon. Yeh mere liye garv ka kshan hai. Kashi sabse pracheen nagari hai aur Kashi nai soch bhi deti hai (Today I am standing on the sacred land of Kashi. It is a matter of pride for me. Kashi is the most ancient city and it also gives new ideas),” he said, meeting with instant applause from a cheering crowd.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Chirag Paswan, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister and Uttar Pradesh BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary were on the dais, while several UP ministers and MLAs were among those in the audience.
Naidu addressed the gathering for around 33 minutes at the Rudraksh International Convention Centre, while Adityanath’s speech lasted around 23 minutes. The programme also marked the launch of the Seva Sankalp bike yatra from Varanasi to Vadnagar.
Naidu began his address in Hindi before quickly switching to English. About six minutes into his speech, he paused to ask the audience whether they wanted his speech to be translated into Hindi.
“Do you want my speech to be translated into Hindi? That can also be done,” he said, before gauging the audience’s reaction and observing that most people appeared to be saying there was no need and that he should continue.
However, he then immediately switched to Hindi and delivered a line that produced one of the loudest responses of the evening.
“Annadata mazboot hoga to desh mazboot hoga (If farmers are strong, the country will be strong),” Naidu said, drawing loud applause and slogans from the audience.
He then returned to English, but continued to vary his voice modulation and delivery, adopting an increasingly energetic tone, particularly while praising Modi’s leadership during the COVID pandemic.
At another point, he again turned to Hindi to describe the larger national message of his address.
“Desh badal raha hai, desh aage badh raha hai (The country is changing and moving forward),” he said, describing India as “Naya Bharat” (New India) and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-reliant India).
He also invoked “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas (Together with all, development for all, trust of all and efforts of all)”.
“Hum alag-alag rajyon se hain, lekin hamara lakshya ek hai (We are from different states, but our goal is one),” he said, before adding in English that the goal was a strong India.
At another point, he invoked the phrase “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat (One India, Great India)”, while underlining the unity of the country despite its linguistic and regional diversity.
Naidu, the president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), also made his political alignment clear while speaking about the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“NDA ek hai, NDA mazboot hai (The NDA is one, the NDA is strong),” he said, drawing applause from the gathering.
His references to Ayodhya and the Ram temple triggered further chants of “Jai Shri Ram”, while his mention of Operation Sindoor in the context of India’s security response also drew an enthusiastic reaction.
He described Kashi as Modi’s “karma bhoomi” (land of work), referring to the prime minister’s political journey from Vadnagar to Varanasi and his electoral victories from the constituency.
Naidu also praised Adityanath while referring to the transformation of Varanasi, including the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, improved connectivity and efforts to rejuvenate the Ganga.
His proposal for a Lord Balaji temple in Varanasi, coupled with a request to Adityanath for five to 10 acres of land for it, was another prominent point in his address.
The impact of Naidu’s Hindi was visible not only in the audience response but also on the dais.
As he concluded his speech and moved towards his seat, the leaders seated alongside him stood up together. Adityanath shook hands with Naidu and gestured towards the audience to take their seats and calm down.
Rajnath Singh, who spoke immediately after Naidu, opened his address by acknowledging the TDP chief’s performance.
“Chandrababu Naidu ji, you spoke very well, very well!” Singh said, before urging the audience to applaud the Andhra Pradesh chief minister and describing him as a “very dynamic chief minister of Andhra Pradesh”.
Naidu’s presentation also stood out visually. He appeared in his trademark simple, informal outfit — a plain beige shirt worn untucked with light-brown trousers and slippers — contrasting with the more formal attire generally seen at a political event featuring senior Union and state leaders.
Towards the end of his address, Naidu once again returned to Hindi before leading the audience in “Har Har Mahadev” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”. He also urged people to wish Modi a long and healthy life.
The Seva Sankalp programme brought together senior NDA leaders including Singh, Adityanath, Naidu, Paswan and Chaudhary for the launch of the Varanasi-Vadnagar motorcycle journey marking Modi’s birthday and 25 years in public office. PTI KIS KSS KSS
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.