PM Narendra Modi meets his mother on his 66th birthday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Gujarat to celebrate his 66th birthday. He began his day by visiting his mother, Heeraben Modi in Gandhinagar.
"Mother's love and blessings are the basic essence of life," PM Modi tweeted in Hindi along with two pictures of him and his mother.
He also thanked President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Chief Justice of India for their wishes.
PM Modi was given a grand reception in Ahmedabad on Friday night after he landed in Gujarat.
Governor OP Kohli, the entire Gujarat cabinet including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and hundreds of party workers welcomed PM Modi at the airport after which he drove to the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar where he spent the night.
He is scheduled to fly to the tribal district of Limkheda later on Saturday to inaugurate water and irrigation schemes worth over Rs 1,700 crore.
PM Modi will also address a public rally at Limkheda before leaving for Navsari in south Gujarat where he will address Samajik Adhikarita Shibir (workshop) for children with disability.
He would also go to the tribal district of Dahod to inaugurate various irrigation projects.
Wishes for the Prime Minister poured in on social media from across the country:
External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj wished him in a tweet:
Bharatiya Janata Party President, Amit Shah, gave his heartfelt wishes:
World-famous sand artist, Sudarshan Pattnaik, conveyed his wishes in a unique form too:
Later in the afternoon he would go to Navsari where he is scheduled to take part in a function where aid would be distributed to the differently-abled persons.
"In Navsari, PM will distribute kits and aid to 'divyang' citizens. He will also address a large gathering near Navsari town," Mr Pandya said.
BJP is facing a challenge in Gujarat ahead of next year's polls in the aftermath of Patel quota agitation and the protests of Dalit community after the Una atrocity incident.
The Prime Minister would leave for Surat on his way to New Delhi on Saturday evening.
Last month PM Modi visited his home state twice -- to condole the death of Sawminarayan sect's leader Pramukhswami Maharaj and later to inaugurate an irrigation scheme in Saurashtra region.