The number of subscribers on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal YouTube channel crossed two crore on Tuesday, with the Indian leader becoming the only world leader to have this distinction and leading his contemporaries by a long distance.
Officials noted that the videos posted on Modi’s channel have more than 4.5 billion views, far ahead of his global peers. Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is second on the list of subscriber numbers with around 64 lakh — less than a third of Modi’s.
In terms of views, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is second to the Indian prime minister with 22.4 crore, a small fraction of Modi’s. US President Joe Biden has 7.89 lakh subscribers while his Turkiye counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan has 3.16 lakh.
‘Yoga with Modi’, a YouTube channel linked to the prime minister, is also high on the list with more than 73,000 subscribers.
Preparations underway
The preparations are underway in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the city on December 30, during which he will inaugurate the redeveloped railway station and the new airport days before the Ram temple consecration ceremony.
“Ahead of the consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla scheduled for January 22, under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, preparations are underway for December 30, 2023,” an official said.
Temples and ashrams have also made special preparations to welcome PM Narendra Modi. Residents of Ayodhya and the surrounding districts are enthusiastic about welcoming PM Modi on his visit. People from nearby districts are also expected to join in extending a welcome to the PM in Ayodhya. A local resident named Surendra from Tarabganj of Gonda lauded PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and said that the duo has restored Ayodhya to its glory.
“Under their leadership, Ayodhya has not only regained its spiritual and majestic essence but has also witnessed substantial developmental initiatives. On the 30th, Ayodhya will also receive the gift of developmental projects. Therefore, we are all eagerly looking forward to welcoming them,” he said.
In anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed roadshow, the prominent ‘matts’ and temples in Ayodhya have also made special preparations. Ayodhya’s chief saint, Rajkumar Das, said that saints will shower flowers on PM Modi.
“Roses and marigold flowers for the flower shower are also being brought from nearby districts. Along the proposed route of the roadshow, special arrangements for flowers are being made to decorate the homes,” he added.
The PM, who is scheduled to flag off a Vande Bharat Express train, will also address a public meeting and likely oversee the progress of the Ram Temple construction. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday visited the temple town to oversee the preparations for the PM’s visit. The BJP has decided to run a campaign for Ram Mandir celebrations starting January 1, in which BJP workers will go door to door in all the villages across the country and encourage ten crore families to participate in Diya Lightning programmes for Ram Temple in Ayodhya.