File Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a day's visit to Rishikesh on Friday to meet his ailing guru Swami Dayanand Giri, with whom he is said to have a close association
The octogenarian Dayanand Giri is said to be very unwell and is completely bed-ridden.
The administration is busy sprucing up the city and making proper security arrangements. And the Saraswati Ashram on the banks of Ganga, where Dayanand Giri is lodged, wears a festive look.
But Parmatman, the ashram administrator, said while the inmates feel privileged by the Prime Minister's impending visit, "he is coming here as Narendra Modi and not the Prime Minister of India".
The PM's office, too, has termed it a personal visit.
The Prime Minister also has a close association with the Ramakrishna Mission.
During his visit to Bengal in May, he had met Swami Atmasthananda -- the ailing Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission president - whom he also refers to as "Guruji".