PM Modi’s rally to mark end of Gaurav Yatra

Narendra Modi, Amit Shah to attend rally on Oct 16. (Express File Photo by Anil Sharma)

Ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to visit Gandhinagar to address a huge gathering of BJP workers during the concluding event of the party’s Gaurav Yatra on October 16, coinciding with Diwali festivities. BJP president Amit Shah will also be present at the event. This will be for the first time that Modi and Shah will share a stage at a party event in Gujarat in the last one year.

The party is banking on Modi to beat the anti-incumbency against the BJP government, which has been further accentuated by the Patidar’ quota agitation. “It has a great significance for us and for the party. We sought his time for the event and sought his guidance when elections are on the cards. And he agreed. Around 10 lakh party workers will attend the function,” said state BJP president Jitu Vaghani.

As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had launched Gaurav Yatra in 2002 just after the post-Godhra riots when his government was facing flak for “failing” to contain the riots. This time, the party is organising it as a mark of pride of Gujarat leadership and its “development model”.

The BJP will launch 15-day Gaurav Yatra on October 1. The yatra will be carried out in two sections. The first section of the yatra will be launched from Karamsad and will be led by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who is the party’s Patidar face. This section of the yatra will cover central and north Gujarat districts. The second section of the yatra will be launched from Porbandar under the leadership of Jitu Vaghani. This section of yatra will cover Saurashtra and south Gujarat.