Surat: In an ‘unprecedented’ road show in the diamond city of Surat in his home-state Gujarat this evening lakhs of people eager to have a glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi thronged the around 12 km long route of the rally from Airport to Circuit house.

People on the road-side as well as in the buildings close-by stood shouting slogans like Modi-Modi and Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Long-live Mother India) cheered up the prime minister who all thorough the road show stood in his vehicle whose roof was opened for him. Around 25000 motorcycles also participated in his road show.

Flower petals were showered on him at several places and he was also welcomed with big flower garlands at some places.

Modi, who looked overwhelmingly happy with the response of the people on his first visit of his home-state Gujarat post grand win in UP and Uttrakhand polls and formation of BJP government in four states, almost continuously waved his hands (both hands on several occasions) throughout the road show which lasted over 2 hours instead of earlier planned one hour (was to culminate at circuit house at 0750 pm originally but ended after around 2 and a half hour at around 0920 pm). He also kept smiling almost throughout the route and at place even thanked the people with folded hands for the grand welcome accorded to him.

Earlier on his arrival at the airport, PM Modi was welcomed by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Gujarat BJP Chief Jeetu Vaghani, MP C R Patil, local MLA’s, Mayor and others. He started the road show immediately with the CM, DyCM and state BJP president following him in another open vehicle just behind his vehicle.

Such was the response of the people that it seemed that almost whole of the city with around 4.5 million population was on roads to welcome him. A large number of youths formed the crowd on the road-show route which was also decorated with Rangolis as mark of love and respect for the stalwart leader. Youths waved back at the PM with the lights of their mobile phones on to show their support for him.

The road show crossed through places like silent zone, Saibaba temple, Magdalla teen rasta, ONGC bridge, Raj Palace, Sarangnagar, Bhavidarshan Complex, BR Mall, Central Mall, Nilambag Party Plot, Big Bazar, Iskon Mall, Kargil Chowk, Sardar Patel Guest House, Sargam Shopping Complex, SVNIT, Ichchhanath temple, Lal Bungalow, Police lines, Zila Sevasadan and reached Circuit house.

Modi arrived here after participating in national executive of BJP in Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) where he had also held a road show. It is overall his 11 th visit of Gujarat after becoming Prime Minister of which 8 have taken place in last around nine months. In his road show a large number of woman bikers including the ones who had gone on a multinational bike trip had also participated.

The entire stretch from the Surat airport to the circuit house was decked up and all government and commercial buildings along the route were illuminated during the evening. A 22 feet tall especially made cut-out cum statue like structure of PM Modi has been erected near Gordhan Haveli close to Vesu road where selfie lovers are clicking continuously. A 12 km long Saree like cloth was also hanged throughout the road depicting various schemes of the Modi government. A laser show was also organized for the purpose.

Meanwhile, over 5000 police personnel and other experts were deployed in the city in the wake of prime minister visit.The vehicle of the PM was guarded by his special guards.

Notably PM Modi after the road show would hold a meeting of the BJP leaders (likely to be attended by over 70 top leaders including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Gujarat BJP president Jeetu Vaghani) tonight. The issue of this year’s assembly polls in the state and related matters are likely to be the center point of the meet. Tomorrow Modi will inaugurate a multi-speciality hospital of trust of Patidar community (KIRAN Hospital) constructed at an estimated cost of around 500 crores in Katargam here and a diamond manufacturing unit at Ichhapore Gems and Jewellery Park in Diamond Bourse SEZ.

He will attend another programme in Bajipura in nearby Tapi district later in the day tomorrow, where he will inaugurate a cattle feed plant and an ice-cream facility of Surat District Co-operative Milk Producers Union popularly known as SUMUL diary. He will also remotely lay the foundation for some other projects there. Modi will then move to the nearby union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He will inaugurate government projects and distribute sanction letters and kits to over 21000 beneficiaries of various government initiatives including Ujjwala scheme and a scheme for divyangs tomorrow in Silvassa. In the afternoon tomorrow he would go to Botad to dedicate to the nation Phase 1 (Link-2) of SAUNI Yojana and lay the foundation stone of Phase 2 (Link 2) of SAUNI Yojana and witness the historic welcoming of Narmada waters into Krishna Sagar Lake in Botad. The scheme, Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI), aims to fill 115 dams in the parched Saurashtra region by diverting floodwaters overflowing from the Sardar Sarovar Dam across the Narmada river. In August last year, the prime minister had inaugurated the first phase of the project from a village in Jamnagar.

PM Modi will address the gathering on various occasion tomorrow including the one in Patidar dominated Katargam here.

PM Modi flied to Surat on his eighth visit of his home state in last almost nine months, soon after addressing the concluding session of the two-day BJP National Executive meeting in Odisha today. PM Modi arrived at Surat airport at around 0645 pm. During his last Gujarat visit he had addressed women sarpanchs from across the country on International Women’s Day on March 8 in capital Gandhinagar.

 

DeshGujarat