Not Patidars, it’s heat wave which is bothering BJP’S felicitation of Shah

GUJARAT

THE GUJARAT BJP is looking at a mobilisation of 50,000 workers and supporters at an event to felicitate national party president Amit Shah for the Assembly election victories on Wednesday but the rising heat in the state is a bother.

Hailing Shah as the “Chanakya of Indian politics”, BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said the Yuva Morcha would stage a grand welcome for him at Ahmedabad airport Wednesday.

There will be fireworks, music bands, dhol-nagara and shehnai from all wards of Ahmedabad city, said city BJP chief Jagdish Panchal.

He added how every one from the “page pramukh” (one in charge of each page of the electoral rolls) to booth-level workers, would be galvanised at the ‘Vijay Vishwas Karyakarta Sammellan’.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday set the tone of the event by saying that the Prime Minister’s decision of “notebandi (demonetisation)” had proved to be “vote bandi (no votes)” for the opposition”.

Footfall of around 50,000 party workers is expected at the event, the biggest challenge for the party seems to be the weather as Ahmedabad is reeling under heat wave conditions and the temperature is likely to hover around 42 degrees Celsius.

The police are not taking chances, given the Hardik Patelled Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti’s problems with Shah, and a possibility of its members attempting to disrupt the event.

In September last year, Hardik’s outfit had disrupted a meeting to felicitate Shah at an event by a section of the Patidar community.

The Shah felicitation has been organised on the grounds behind the National Institute of Design on the Sabarmati riverfront.

Pandya said Chief Minister Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Gujarat BJP president Jituvaghani,almostalltheelected representatives of the party and councillors would attend the event along with party workers mainly from Ahmedabad and adjoining districts.

“We have not targeted any number of attendees, but it will be a huge gathering,” Pandya said.

When asked about any apprehension of the event being disrupted by any group like the one of Patidars and special preparations to handle law and order, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner A K Singh said, “I don’t think law and order is a major issue .... If any attempt to disrupt the event is there then we are prepared to deal with it.”

Javed Raja Preparations underway in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.