Hours After Mother's Last Rites, PM Modi Returns To Work

"Today I was supposed to come among you, but I could not come for some personal reasons, for which I apologise to you and West Bengal," the PM said at the start of his speech during the event.

Hours after his mother's death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat express connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri, and launched several other development projects worth Rs 7,800 crore in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while condoling Heeraben Modi's death, advised the PM to take rest. शानदार शताब्दी का ईश्वर चरणों में विराम... मां में मैंने हमेशा उस त्रिमूर्ति की अनुभूति की है, जिसमें एक तपस्वी की यात्रा, निष्काम कर्मयोगी का प्रतीक और मूल्यों के प्रति प्रतिबद्ध जीवन समाहित रहा है। pic.twitter.com/yE5xwRogJi

The PM's decision to carry on with his official engagements on the day he lost his mother also drew praise from fellow ministers and other BJP leaders, who hailed him as a "karmayogi".

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Kerala said that the PM told them (ministers) to not cancel their scheduled programmes and return to Delhi only after completing their work. Home Minister Amit Shah also went ahead with his programme in Karnataka.

"Today I was supposed to come among you, but I could not come for some personal reasons, for which I apologise to you and West Bengal," the PM said at the start of his speech during the event.