Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a public meeting in Silvassa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli on Monday. PTI Photo / PIB
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day whirlwind tour of Gujarat was nothing short of a political blitzkrieg in the state that is slated to go to polls later this year.
Modi, who landed here on Sunday to a welcome of a rock-star, had an action-packed schedule on Monday. His events were scheduled to address political constituencies of Patidars in Surat, tribals in Vyara and Silvassa in South Gujarat and at Botad in Saurashtra region.
Modi began his day by inaugurating a multi-speciality hospital built by Patidars in Surat. In recent times, Patidars, who are economically and politically powerful community, led by Hardik Patel are up in arms against the ruling BJP seeking quotas in educational institutions and government jobs.
“I was in a dilemma whether I should speak in Hindi or Gujarati. Since you have done a big thing, I shall speak in Hindi so that the entire country knows about your effort,” he told a gathering at the launch of hospital. As the BJP campaigns for a fifth straight term in Gujarat since 1995, the high-profile visit by the prime minister also signals the BJP’s effort to build on the momentum achieved by it in Uttar Pradesh and other states.