Even as his elevation within the party cadres has brought a political storm in the saffron brigade, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi would be visiting Punjab on June 23 - his first visit to any State after being crowned as party’s poll campaign committee chairperson ahead of lok Sabha elections.
Even as Modi would be visiting the State to pay tributes to the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Parsad Mukharjee in Pathankot district, State party unit is preparing to hold a massive rally on the occasion. Modi would visit Madhopur, the last town of Punjab on Punjab-Jammu and Kashmir border in Pathankot district on Jalandhar-Jammu national highway.
“A big rally would be held at Madhopur near the statue of Dr Mukharjee on that day to commemorate the sacrifice of Mukharjee and pay tributes to him…This would be Modi’s first ever visit to any state after appointed as the BJP election campaign committee chief at the Goa conclave recently,” said Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma.
The news of Modi’s visit has infused a new energy among the party cadres, and is expected to sound a poll bugle ahead 2014 assembly polls in the state. The party leaders are also expecting that his visit would also give a boost to the alliance’s campaign, especially the BJP, ahead the approaching panchayat polls, scheduled for July 3.
Modi’s elevation has brought fissures not only within the BJP, but also among the allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). While party’s veteran leader lal Krishan Advani had resigned from party’s all key posts and the party on the same day of Modi’s elevation, the BJP’s 17-year-old ally, Janata Dal (United), has snapped ties on Sunday owing to Modi’s distance with JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar.