Narendra Modi today became the first Prime Minister of India to stay out of capital Delhi on the occasion of Dussehra as he attended the historic Aishbagh Ramlila in Lucknow.
As a tradition, all the previous prime ministers have spent Dussehra in the union capital and have witnessed the Ravana Dahan in Delhi where even the leaders of opposition in the Lok Sabha shares stage with the PM at the Ram Leela ground festivities.
Even Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was Lok Sabha member from Lucknow when he was Prime Minister, did not visit the city on Dussehra. He once visited the city on the occasion but he was not the Prime Minister at the time.
The Aishbagh Ramlila is seen as a symbol of pluralistic culture, also called 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb', as Muslim rulers patronised it and allotted it space equal to Eidgah, which is situated right next to it.
Awadh’s Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula had donated the land to both Ramlila and Idgah in the 18th century.
Modi's visit assumes an added significance because of assembly polls due next year in Uttar Pradesh where the saffron party is making a concerted bid to come back to power after a gap of 15 years and is up against ruling Samajwadi Party and main opposition Mayawati-led BSP.
The move is seen as yet another attempt to connect with the people of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
In the absence of strong regional leaders, BJP is again banking on Modi's appeal to power its campaign in the state, which it swept in the Lok Sabha polls riding on a national wave in his support but where it is perceived to have slipped since.
