PM Modi to visit Gujarat, inaugurate Metro project

Ahmedabad: Amid tensions at India-Pakistan border, PM Narendra Modi is visiting Gujarat for two days on March 4 and 5. This will be his third visit of his home state in two months.

During the visit, he will attend four official events including inauguration of a Metro rail project in Ahmedabad and also address a public gathering.

Earlier, there was suspense over his visit in wake of the current situation, but it remains unchanged now. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani confirmed the same with media persons after he had a video conference with Mr Modi earlier this week.

Mr Modi will arrive at Jamnagar in Saurashtra on March 4, where he will inaugurate Gujarat’s first desalination plant at Jodia village. In the afternoon, he will inaugurate the first phase of the much awaited Metro rail in Ahmedabad and later dedicate a new civil hospital building.

On March 5, he will flag off the ‘Shramyogi Mandhan Scheme’ at Vastral area in Ahmedabad. He may hold discussions with party leaders to assess political situation in the state later.  

While his earlier visits, which include the inauguration of the Statue of Unity and Gandhi Smarak at Dandi, were focused on South Gujarat, in this visit the focus will be on central Gujarat and Saurasthra region.

The Central government has already announced AIIMS for Rajkot. The Cabinet has also approved the greenfield airport project for Rajkot recently. Both these steps are being seen to woo Saurasthra voters where Congress had performed well in the last Assembly election. There is also a buzz that PM Modi may contest the Lok Sabha election from Rajkot along with Varanasi. This will be a boost for BJP in Saurashtra.

Besides this, he will lay the foundation stone of the Rs 1,000 crore Maa Umiya Dham temple complex at Jaspur and also perform the foundation stone laying ceremony of the religious-educational projects of Maa Annapurna Dham trust.

These programmes are being organised by the leaders of Kadva and Leuva Patidar communities respectively. Incidentally, BJP had suffered badly due to Patidar reservation agitation in the last Assembly election.

He had already addressed the party’s Mahila Morcha National Convention on December 22 at Gandhinagar in his effort to keep the women vote bank intact.

However, many believe that the situation has changed after the airstrike on Pakistan. Mr Modi has emerged as a leader who doesn’t compromise on national security and in this case he and BJP will have an easy match on home turf.