India, April 24 -- A boat owner in Bengal's Hooghly, whose boats were hired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the ghats, said that the PM gave him a message to "live together cordially."

Mohammed Iftikhar Ahmed told ANI that the arrangements of seven boats were made at short notice. He said that a man who works near the ghats asked him for seven boats, without specifying the reason.

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"He said it was nothing major," Iftikar said, and later came to know that PM Modi was supposed to arrive.

He said that after taking a morning walk, PM came to the ghat and took his boat. "The PM said to us that we all should live together cordially," the boat owner was quoted as saying.

An...