Though supposed to be a private religious trip, Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP National Election Campaign Committee chairman Narendra Modi’s visit to the holy city of Puri virtually made Odisha’s sedate political atmosphere pretty hot.
Modi wound up his brief visit with a message to the State BJP’s rank and file to reconcile to make it alone and bolster the sagging confidence by fanning out and getting back to roots. Modi left for Ahmedabad at around 5 pm.
Modi’s eight-hour visit had its significance as it infused some sort of visible adrenaline to the docile State BJP unit. Modi really set the shape of politics to be witnessed in the next few months ahead of the 2014 general elections, said observers. Modi’s charisma seemed working in the State with thousands of people seen waiting alongside the road from the Bhubanewar airport to Puri to have a glimpse of the BJP heavyweight, whose name has been making rounds as the projected Prime Ministerial candidate.
In he last leg of his tour, Modi met senior State party leaders at the Hotel Mayfair after lunch during which he reportedly asked them to corner the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government by highlighting its commissions and omissions and the anti-people policies and maladministration, besides corruption of the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre. He asked the State BJP leaders without mincing words to work with determination with victory as goal in the ensuing elections, adding, “A strong organisational base is crucial to political victory.”