9 People who Narendra Modi has invited to join 'Clean India' campaign

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today invited 9 eminent people to join ‘Swachh Bharat' campaign to spread awareness about the importance of cleanliness.Prime Minister Modi requested each of these nine to bring in nine more people into the initiative so that the campaign becomes viral.Modi also asked them to upload their videos online in order to inspire others to join this national drive. Asserting that “Swachh Bharat” mission is “beyond politics” and inspired by “patriotism”, he invoked Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a “clean and developed” India as he formally kicked off the five-year-long campaign, which will cover 4,041 statutory towns, on the 145th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.Here goes the list of those 9 people who Modi has invited to join ‘Clean India' drive:1. Shashi TharoorShashi Tharoor, senior Congress leader and a former diplomat, has surprised political circles with his praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Narendra Modi has invited him to join his ambitious ‘Swachh Bharat' mission and spread awareness about the necessity to maintain cleanliness across the country.The appealing and erudite Shashi Tharoor opened the innings of his career serving the United Nations for 29 years. He was considered the most competitive contender for the post of UN Secretary General.Shashi Tharoor chose to return to serve his motherland i.e. India and joined politics. As a columnist, he keeps writing for major publications like Times of India, Washington Post, The New York Times etc.2. Baba RamdevBaba Ramdev, the renowned Yoga guru, whole-heartedly supported the election campaign of Narendra Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He had taken anti-Congress stand openly during elections.An old friend of Narendra Modi, Baba Ramdev has also been invited to join the cleanliness drive in order to inspire the people. Baba Ramdev has got massive fan following and he can definitely inspire his followers to make the cleanliness drive a major success. Born as Ramkrishna Yadav in Haryana, Ramdev is a spiritual leader mainly known for his contributions in yoga and Ayurveda. He also contemplated an active role in politics but decided against it after the BJP told him to support Modi instead.Ramdev is also known for his campaign for bringing back black money to India.3. Anil AmbaniRenowned industrialist Anil Ambani is also one of the nine people who Modi has invited to join cleanliness drive while launching ‘Swach Bharat' drive.Anil Ambani, son of late Dhirubhai Ambani and brother of Mukesh Ambani, has accepted the invitation and has said that he will dedicate himself to the 'Swachh Bharat' mission."I am honoured to be invited by our respected Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi to join the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.""I dedicate myself to this movement and will invite nine other leading Indians to join me in the "Clean India" campaign," Anil Ambani said in a statement.4. Mridula SinhaNarendra Modi has also invited Mridula Sinha, Goa Governor, to join the cleanliness drive.Mridula Sinha, while accepting the invitation, has said that she will try her best to spread the message of cleanliness.Before being sworn-in as Goa governor, Mridula Sinha had played a long stint in Bihar BJP. Until August 2014, Mridula Sinha was a member of the national executive of Bharatiya Janata Party. During the BJP's campaign for 2014 general elections, she was in-charge of the BJP Mahila Morcha.Mridula Sinha was born on 27 November 1942 in the village of Chhapra Dharampur Yadu in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. 5. Sachin TendulkarLegendary cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, also finds a place in the select 9 who Modi has invited to join the cleanliness drive.Modi hopes that if Sachin joins the cleanliness drive then it will inspire cricket enthusiasts spread across caste, creed and religion to actively participate in the cleanliness drive.Sachin Tendulkar had readily accepted the invitation and has promised to try his best to make the ‘Clean india' mission a big success.Sachin Tendulkar is an icon the world of Cricket and the Government of India has awarded him with highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna'.Sachin has also been nominated to the upper house of the parliament i.e. Rajya Sabha.6. Priyanka ChopraModi has also invited Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra to join his ambitious ‘Clean india' drive.Priyanka has also accepted the invitation and has expressed her full support for the initiative.Priyanka expressed her readiness to join the cleanliness drive through her tweets.“I humbly accept respected Prime Minster Narendra Modiji's challenge. This is an idea that is long overdue CleanIndiaCampaign.”“If we don't get involved and support this campaign, nothing can happen. But if we come together we can make a difference. Every action we take will be important. I want to make the change. I want a clean India. It's time to clean up our act,” added Priyanka.7. Salman KhanPrime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Bollywood star Salman Khan to join ‘Swachh Bharat' abhiyaan and spread the awareness on the importance and significance of cleanliness among the people of India.Narendra Modi shares very cordial and friendly relations with Salman Khan. Modi has good relations with Salman's father, Salim Khan, as well.Salman Khan has also got a huge fan following and Modi hopes that if Salman joins the cleanliness drive then all his admirers will feel inspired and encouraged to pro-actively participate his pet mission.It should be recalled that during 2014 Lok Sabha electrions, Salman Khan had spoken positively of Narendra Modi's PM candidature although he had stopped short of openly endorsing his candidature. 8. Kamal HassanTamil Superstar Kamal Hassan has also been invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the ‘Swachh Bharat' initiative.Kamal Hassan's participation will definitely have a positive impact in southern states where film stars are virtually worshipped by the masses.Kamal Haasan has won several Indian film awards including four National Film Awards and 19 Filmfare Awards.Kamal Haasan is the first Tamil actor to convert his fan clubs into welfare organisations,and is involved in social-service activities through the clubs under the name Kamal Narpani Iyakkam (Kamal Welfare Association).His fan clubs help organise blood- and eye-donation drives, and donate educational materials to students.9. Disha VakaniFamous Television star Disha Vakani, better known for playing the character of ‘Daya Ben' in the serial ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah', has also been invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join the ‘Clean India' campaign.Disha Vakani alias ‘Daya Ben' is hugely popular in Indian households and Modi hopes that her popularity will encourage her huge fan base especially women to come forward in large numbers to enthusiastically participate in the cleanliness drive.Disha Vakani has also accepted Modi's invitation to join the ‘Swach Bharat mission' and has said that she will try her best to play an effective role in the campaign.