Modi showers lavish praise on Amit Shah

Modi showers lavish praise on Amit Shah

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 12:36 PM IST
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Shah is at loggerheads with Anandiben, who ran the state in Modi’s absence during polls

Gandhinagar :  With just days to go before he takes over as the prime minister, Narendra Modi returned to Gujarat on Tuesday for his thanksgiving and farewell, all rolled in one, as he gets ready to demit office as chief minister of the state on Wednesday.

Modi is set to resign tomorrow and the name of his successor is expected to be announced shortly thereafter.

In a day packed with the official mechanics of government formation in Delhi, Modi dispensed with it all in clockwork precision and landed at the Ahmedabad airport to a victor’s welcome in the evening.

In a short speech at the airport, he described his mandate as one of hope and vowed to carry it forward to light the lives of every citizen — each one of the 125 crore.

After a day spent speaking in Hindi, Modi switched over to Gujarati as he addressed a large rally in his Assembly constituency of Maninagar in Ahmedabad. There was instant connect and the atmosphere laden with emotion as his supporters realized that he would be leaving soon to take up larger responsibilities.

‘‘Wherever I go in whatever capacity my links with you will never cease. I am a primary member of the BJP from Gujarat and so it shall be. Your claim over me shall always stands,” he said, adding in his witty style.

Though it is largely believed that Anandiben Patel, a trusted colleague and chairman of the four member committee of ministers that ran the government when he was busy campaigning is the next chief minister, Modi showered fulsome praise on Amit Shah while addressing the rally.

Patel and Shah, close lieutenants of Modi, are known to be at loggerheads with each other. ‘‘Shah is a discovery of these elections,” Modi said referring to him pointing out that his stellar achievement had seen the BJP bag more seats in UP than the Congress has done countrywide.

‘‘I was at the ‘Ganga-ghat’ in Varanasi for the ‘aarti’ and witnessed the endearing popularity of Shah in UP where he had gone just a few months ago.

“You wanted a prime minister from Gujarat and you would often say so in chorus only to be corrected by me — not PM only CM — but the will of the people is final in a democracy.

‘‘You can now say with finality when anyone asks you: He may be prime minister for you but he is Narendrabhai to us,” he added.

The Gujarat chief minister is slated to attend a special one day session of Gujarat Assembly on Wednesday and then submit his resignation as the Chief Minister to the state Governor. Later the BJP legislators will elect his replacement, who shall stake claim by evening. The swearing in ceremony for the next Chief Minister is likely to be on Thursday.

RK MISRA

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