Varanasi, June 23 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers at the ‘Kashi Kotwal’ Baba Kal Bhairav temple on Monday.

Both leaders are in Kashi to attend the Central Zonal Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday at the Hotel Taj.

After leaving the airport, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Yogi Adityanath headed straight to the Kal Bhairav temple. Residents of Kashi welcomed them with conch blowing and chants of “Har Har Mahadev”. Both leaders greeted the people with folded hands before proceeding to the Hotel Taj in Nadesar.

Earlier, CM Yogi Adityanath welcomed Union Home & Cooperation Minister Amit Shah at Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport by presenting him with ‘angvastra’ and a bouquet.

BJP state president Bhupendra Singh and Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh also greeted the Home Minister. Workers raised chants of “Har Har Mahadev” and welcomed Shah and Yogi at the airport. BJP workers lined the route and showered flowers to welcome the dignitaries.

CM Yogi Adityanath was also welcomed by Labour & Employment Minister Anil Rajbhar, Urban Development & Energy Minister A.K. Sharma, Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, District Panchayat President Poonam Maurya, MLAs Dr. Awadhesh Singh and Saurabh Srivastava, MLCs Hansraj Vishwakarma and Dharmendra Rai, Divisional Commissioner S. Rajalingam and others. CM Yogi also held courtesy meetings with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai.

Later in the evening, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hosted a dinner at Hotel Taj, which was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with the Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand.

The 25th meeting of the Central Zonal Council will be chaired by Union Home & Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday at Hotel Taj.

Attendees will include host Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Along with the Chief Ministers, two senior ministers from each member state will participate. The Chief Secretaries of the states, other senior state officials, and senior officials from the Central government will also attend the meeting.

–IANS

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