PM Narendra
Modi to take Shinzo Abe to Varanasi
in December
Lalmani
Verma , Utkarsh
Anand | November
23, 2015 The Indian Express
In an effort to promote cultural exchanges through
the common threads of Buddhism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
have his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe as his guest in
his Lok
Sabha constituency Varanasi on
December 12.
Following deliberations between the Prime Minister’s
Office and the Ministries of External Affairs, Culture and Tourism,
a preliminary protocol of Modi’s visit with Abe was sent to the
Varanasi district administration on Sunday.
Varanasi Additional District Magistrate Om Prakash
Chaubey confirmed to The
Indian Express that the administration had
received a tentative protocol of the one-day visit by the two PMs.
The ADM said Modi and Abe will attend the Ganga Aarti at
Dasaswamedh Ghat, and leave for New Delhi the same
evening.
Sources said Modi has been keen on taking a foreign
dignitary to Varanasi for quite some time, and Abe appeared to be
the perfect guest because of the shared Buddhist heritage of the
two countries.
The Japanese Prime Minister is likely to visit
Sarnath, located 13 km from Varanasi near the confluence of the
Ganga and Gomti rivers. Sarnath, one of the holiest centres of
Buddhism, is where the Buddha is believed to have given his first
sermon.
“Sarnath stands out prominently on the Buddhist
circuit which is being promoted by the Ministry of Tourism. A visit
by the Japanese Prime Minister will likely encourage other Japanese
tourists, given that Buddhism is a major religion there,” an
official conversant with the PMO’s plan said.
The official added that welcoming heads of nations
to cities outside the national capital has evolved as a part of the
PMO’s plans. China’s President Xi Jinping travelled to Ahmedabad,
while German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Bengaluru.
On his trip to Japan last August, Modi visited two
prominent ancient Buddhist temples in the company of Abe. The two
leaders signed a pact to develop Varanasi as a‘’Smart City’, and
Kyoto Mayor Daisaku Kadokawa gave a presentation on Kyoto’s
transition from a historic city to a modern one, while continuing
to nurture its heritage.
Under the Smart Heritage Cities programme, Kyoto
will provide cooperation in the fields of conservation and
modernisation of cities, as well as in art, culture and
academics.
Sources in Varanasi Municipal Corporation said that
during the Varanasi visit, the two PMs are likely to discuss the
progress of works under the ‘Kyoto-Kashi’ pact. Varanasi Mayor Ram
Gopal Mohle said the programme for the day of the visit would be
finalised in the next couple of days.