TIRUPATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a spiritual journey, arrived in Tirupati on Sunday to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara at the sacred Tirumala Hills.
This marks Narendra Modi's fourth visit to the Tirumala temple in his capacity as PM. He was accorded a grand reception, starting from the Renigunta airport, and the mass frenzy continued all along the PM’s road route to Alipiri.
Governor S Abdul Nazeer, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and cabinet ministers warmly received the PM upon his arrival at the airport around 7.40pm. The PM reached the Rachna guest house in Tirumala by road.
TTD officials led by chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and executive officer AV Dharma Reddy accorded a grand welcome to the PM in Tirumala.
The Prime Minister stayed overnight at the Rachna guest house and would offer prayers at the hill temple around 8am on Monday. The PM’s visit to the temple would last 45 minutes, after which he would return to the guest house.
At 9.30am, the PM would leave Tirumala and head for Renigunta airport, from where he would fly to the Hakimpet airport in Secunderabad.
The reception at the Tirupati airport saw the prime minister being greeted by top AP leaders with flower bouquets. Chief minister Jagan Reddy reached there a couple of hours before the PM's arrival. Jagan Reddy honoured the PM with a silk shawl and presented him with an idol of Lord Srinivasa. Governor Nazeer presented the Prime Minister with a souvenir.
After the welcome event, the CM returned to Gannavaram, while the governor would accompany the PM throughout his two-day visit to the temple city.
Deputy chief minister K Narayanaswamy, ministers Peddireddy Ramchandra Reddy and parliament members Mithun Reddy, M Gurumurthy, N Reddeppa, GVL Narasimha Rao and government whip Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy welcomed the PM.
Former chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and senior BJP functionaries were also present.
As the PM's convoy set out from the airport, BJP activists and his admirers showered flowers on Modi, chanting the popular 'NAMO' slogans. The entire route from the airport to Alipiri was adorned with banners and flexes welcoming the PM to the temple city. Tight security was evident, with personnel from the SGP and Tirupati district police on deployment during the PM’s two-day visit.
The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams also made elaborate arrangements to ensure a smooth visit for the prime minister. Both Tirupati and Tirumala were under unprecedented security drills in view of the PM's visit.
