They may call it a part of professional affairs but the 11, Ashoka Road seems to be no more a favourite destination for State BJP leaders as the craze for personal meeting with BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is pulling them towards Ahmedabad. A number of leaders have recently met the ‘PM in waiting’ at Ahmedabad and others are planning too to establish rapport with Modi.
Till date a number of State BJP leaders have made personal visits to Ahmedabad and met Modi. Sanjay Seth, Convenor of NaMo Mantra Jharkhand, who was among the first to lead a delegation to the Gujarat CM said, “Ours was simply a courtesy visit. We have been enthusiastically working for NaMo Mantra in the State and we wanted to convey the message that thousands of Jharkhandis are in support of BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate. This is nothing but our devotion and loyalty towards the person whom we want to see as the leader of the country.”
On being asked why the focus of the leaders has changed from Delhi to Ahmedabad, he said, “It’s not only Jharkhand but the whole contry’s focus has changed from Delhi to Ahmedabad. The youth of the nation has got a new icon in the name of Modi Ji. Even at the time of Sampurna Kranti of JP movement youths were the major forces behind bringing change. But today’s youths are different. They know only a leader like Modi Ji will develop the nation by leaps and bounds.”
Former State BJP president and Jamshedpur MlA Raghuwar Das also had made a visit to Modi recently to convey his greetings to the BJP’s national face.
However, he called it a normal visit in which he had discussed about Jharkhand issues with Modi and invited him to the State.
Senior BJP leader Saryu Roy has also visited Ahmedabad as he has been made a member of iron collection committee on national basis for Statue of Unity of Sardar Patel. Following him was BJP leader Deepak Prakash who came back from Ahmedabad after meeting Modi a couple of days back. Former Ranchi MP Ajay Maroo had also met Modi recently as part of party’s “courtesy visits”.
“It is nothing but obvious that the leaders would run towards the centre of power. But just boasting about their meeting with Modi and unwanted media hype of their meeting is a thing they should avoid. Just getting your picture with Modi published in a newspaper does not make you a big leader you actually need to earn that respect,” said a senior BJP leader requesting anonymity.