The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to install miniatures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at all party offices in 75 districts of the state. These miniatures are made up of fibre and designed by Chitrakoot-based professional artist Vinay Sahu. Speaking to FinancialExpress.com, Sahu (30) said the statues of both the leaders were presented to Adityanath by Sunil Bansal (organisational) general secretary, BJP on June 5 – the day the CM turned 46.
Sahu hails from Karwi in Chitrakoot and is a painter by profession and suffers from a damaged liver which needs a transplant. Since the treatment is very costly and he belongs to a poor family, he couldn’t afford the expense. Sahu said that he teaches drawing at a private college in Chitrakoot and his monthly stipend is only Rs 5,500.
Sahu revealed that he had met Bansal three months ago seeking financial help to undergo treatment. Sahu was told to do something special so that he can be introduced to PM Modi and CM Yogi to take forward his request. According to Sahu, when the miniatures were presented to the CM on Thursday, Adityanath liked his work and said he will soon meet him. “I am making paintings and writing to PM and CM for last seven months, expecting one day I will get response.”
“I thought to do something unique which PM and CM can’t get from anywhere. So this idea came into my mind,” he told FinancialExpress.com. He said that initially he had made statues using plaster of Paris but fearing that they may be damaged during transportation, Sahu began using fibre for making the miniatures. “The plaster of Paris miniature costs me around Rs 300 whereas the fibre one costs me Rs 700.”
When asked whether he has received any order from the party, Sahu said that he is yet to receive any formal order from the party to create miniatures for installing them at party offices across all 75 districts.
Sahu added that CM Adityanath has already made arrangements for his treatment and his file will soon be sent to PGI, Lucknow. “The Chief Minister has cleared my file. I expect in the next five days, it will be sent to the PGI (Lucknow). I thank him for all the help. I will meet him when I travel to Lucknow.”
Sahu had made several paintings of eminent personalities including yoga guru Baba Ramdev in the past. He claimed that he had also met former President APJ Abdul Kalam whom he had presented a special painting of his image crafted on a unit of rice.
On Thursday, Abhishek Kaushik, OSD to CM, had told FinancialExpress.com that Yogi Adityanath was overwhelmed to receive his statue as a gift on his birthday. The statue shows yogi clad in his favourite saffron dress.