Narendra Modi in Surat: PM receives grand welcome in Patidar stronghold, will launch developmental projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Surat on Sunday evening on a two-day visit to Gujarat to a warm welcome by huge crowds, as his cavalcade passed amid hundreds of motorcyclists as part of a road show.

Glimpses of PM Shri @narendramodi's road show in Surat. #GujaratWelcomesPMModi pic.twitter.com/3QODfc64n5

— BJP (@BJP4India) April 16, 2017

[caption id=“attachment_3387558” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Narendra Modi during the Surat roadshow on Sunday. Image courtesy: @BJP4India[/caption] The road show began at the Surat airport around 7.30 pm and continued for over two hours when Modi’s cavalcade reached near the State Government Circuit House where he is to make a night halt. An 11-km-long synthetic saree covering the entire stretch depicting schemes launched by the Modi government was displayed along the entire route. A convoy of around 25,000 motorcycle-borne boys and girls accompanied Modi when he travelled from the airport to the Circuit House. Expressing excitement over his visit, Modi took to his Twitter page to say: “My gratitude to all those who are participating in the various programmes. Visiting the vibrant city of Surat is a matter of great joy.” Packed schedule ahead Modi will have a packed schedule on Monday with the inauguration of a series of projects. Modi is slated to inaugurate Kiran Multi Super Speciality Hospital and Research Centre, built by a private trust, in the city tomorrow morning. He would then go to Hira Bourse SEZ at Icchapur in the district to inaugurate a diamond polishing unit of Hari Krishna Export Private Limited. From there, the Prime Minister will go to Bajipura village in Tapi district to inaugurate a cattle feed plant and ice-cream plant of Sumul Dairy, and lay foundation stone for dairy products plant at Nava Pardi. He will also address a large gathering there. The state BJP unit claims that more than four lakh persons, including three lakh women from tribal-dominated areas, would attend the gathering. Modi will then visit Silvassa town in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, where he will address a gathering apart from inaugurating a few projects. From there, he will head to Botad in Saurashtra to inaugurate phase-1 of Sauni project for Botad and surrounding districts as well as to lay foundation stone for the phase-2. In August last year, Modi inaugurated the first phase of ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (Sauni) Project from Jamnagar. Under this project, which is divided in four phases, the Gujarat government plans to fill 115 dams of Saurashtra region with overflowing water of Sardar Sarovar Dam across river Narmada through a web of pipeline network. A crucial political visit ahead of Assembly election This is Modi’s second visit to his home state this year. He had visited Gandhinagar on 8 March to address women sarpanchs from across the country on International Women’s Day. Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela alleged on Sunday that the BJP-led Gujarat government has locked up nearly 2,000 people who were likely to protest Modi’s visit in Surat. Vaghela said that while speaking with News18 India TV channel on Sunday. Besides, a display of Modi’s popularity in his home state, the two-day visit is also crucial for the BJP in election-bound Gujarat which is slated to elect its next Assembly in November. The visit is especially important in the backdrop of the two-year-long Patidar agitation for reservations in education and jobs, which many believe may have dampened the BJP’s prospects to win 150 seats in the Assembly — a target set by party chief Amit Shah. You can catch the full video of the roadshow here: