Prayers as Yogi Adityanath enters CM’s house

Lucknow: The Adityanath Yogi government on Wednesday slipped into a religious mode. The Uttar Pradesh chief minister finally shifted to a new official residence at 5, Kalidas Marg with the beginning of Navratri period.

After a small puja in which a cow was also brought in, the chief minister invited his Cabinet colleagues to falahar (non-cereal meal taken during fast) at his new residence.

Last week, a team of 11 priests form Gorakhpur and Allahabad had organised an elaborate puja at the chief minister’s official residence to purify the bungalow for Grih Pravesh.

All leather-upholstered furniture in the palatial bungalow has been removed and replaced with wooden furniture. A modest wooden cot, known as takhat in local parlance, has been brought in.  

The chief minister, since he was sworn in on March 19, had been staying at the VVIP guesthouse till the auspicious period of Navratri began.

Mr Yogi, according to sources close to him, observes a nine-day fast and takes only a small meal of buttermilk and fruit. However, he will continue with his daily work routine and will not take a break.

Apart from the chief minister, about a dozen ministers also performed puja at their new official residences on the first day of Navratri. Some of them performed Grih Pravesh even though the renovation of their bungalows in still underway.

“This is an auspicious period so we have done the puja today. I will start shifting and the renovation work can continue along side,” said the aide of a Cabinet minister.

Mr Yogi also issued instructions to officials to ensure public facilities for devotees at all temples, particularly those known as Shakti Peeths in the state. He has also directed to ensure foolproof security measures at all levels with strict vigil on anti-social elements. He has directed the local authorities to put up barricading for crowd control at temples.

In Ayodhya, special security arrangements are being put in place for Ram Navmi and Ram Mahotsav, held during the same period.

The chief minister said that keeping in view the summer heat, arrangements should be made for pure potable water and measures be taken at local government hospitals to ensure stocking of essential medicines and presence of doctors.