Mathura MP Hema Malini (BJP) administered the Swachh Bharat oath to a large group of students and Vrindavan residents. In the oath-taking ceremony taking place in Gandhi Park, hundreds of students from different schools gathered to hear their Member of Parliament speak on the “Clean India” push coming from the Prime Minister.

She read out the oath part by part and the students solemnly repeated the words.

Swami Maheshananda Saraswati, BJP’s district president D.P. Goyal, Vyapar Mandal leader Ashok Varshnay, Chairman of Vrindavan Municipality Mukesh Gautam, among others, were on the stage with her while she administered the oath. Before doing so, she gave an address in which she said, “Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of an India which was not only free but also clean and developed.”

“Mahatma Gandhi secured freedom for Mother India. Now it is our duty to serve Mother India by keeping the country neat and clean,” she added.

The oath reads:

I take this pledge that I will remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for this. I will devote 100 hours per year that is two hours per week to voluntary work for cleanliness. I will neither litter nor let others litter. I will initiate the quest for cleanliness with myself, my family, my locality, my village and my work place.

Click here for the Narendra Modi speech inaugurating the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

After administering the oath, Hema Malini went to the main markets of Vrindavan and demonstrated the cleaning program. In her address to the students and people present there, she made it clear that it was everyone’s responsibility to keep the holy town of Vrindavan clean. She appealed to everyone that no one litter on the open street. Garbage should be put in the garbage bins only. She urged to the Chairman of the Vrindavan Municipality Mukesh Gautam to ensure that Vrindavan gets cleaned and remains clean.

Though there were many schools present there, who went back to their respective schools after taking the oath, the Bhaktivedanta Gurukula decided to act on the oath immediately after the ceremony. Students of Standard IX of the BGIS cleaned the Yamuna riverfront near Vanshi Vat. Friends of Vrindavan’s volunteers and cleaning equipments assisted them in the cleaning operation.

Radhakanata Dasa from the management of the BGIS said that it was a motivating idea of our Prime Minister to get everyone involved in cleaning their respective places. He said, “Friends of Vrindavan has been trying to clean Vrindavan for last twenty years. The BGIS and FoV are Eco-school partners. We have been working together to sensitize the people not to litter.”

Hema Malini spoke with PM Narendra Modi when in Delhi on Nov. 5. She spoke to him about Mathura vikas and how she needed his help in implementing her ideas. The Mathura MP reported that Modiji “listened to all my points like declaring Mathura a heritage city, Yamuna cleaning, the laying of roads and the water problem.”