Amdavad celebrates Narendra Modi's coronation

All roads may not have led to Khanpur on Friday, but the ones that emerged from it in the evening definitely bore saffron hues. For, the headquarters of state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned into nothing less than a celebration fortress with party workers, state leaders and councillors from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) sharing their joy in chief minister Narendra Modi’s elevation as party’s prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Many a mood unfolded in the 168 minutes of waiting, with media men outnumbering even the party representatives initially. Gradually crowds swelled in size and support — the mood surcharged with restlessness. Activists of Narendra Modi Fan Club came, saw and went away. They had their reason. “We don’t want to be recognised as BJP supporters. We support him (Modi). We will celebrate his appointment as candidate at a distance,” Rajiv Chhajer, the convenor of the fan club said. Others stayed put; more joining in the mood.

With the arrival of BJP councillors along with few of their supporters, saffron flavour permeated every corner of the headquarters, which by 5 pm (the actual time when the party’s parliamentary board met), was a bastion of believers — all reaffirming their faith in Modi and his leadership.

Among the top brass, former national vice president Parshottam Rupala was the first to arrive there. Oozing with confidence on Modi being a ‘tested and trusted leader’, Rupala said he believes that his appointment reflects the mood of the nation. “Not taking away anything from Gujarat, I believe he will great even more support from all regions of the country,” he said, much before the official announcement came through.

He then rushed inside the party office, where RC Faldu, state BJP chief, Pradipsinh Jadeja, minister of state for law and parliamentary affairs and other party functionaries, joined him. The tension in the room was evident and tangible, almost overpowering; one could cut the air with a knife when multiple pairs of eyes remained glued to the TV screens — scanning every word uttered or displayed. There was pin drop silence — no comments or reactions forthcoming. “Let the official announcement come. We will talk after that,” was all the bytes media got.

However, the air outside bore a different hue — with party workers and supporters from all walks of life milling in to cheer Modi’s anointment, announcement notwithstanding. Be they Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and even Muslims — joy was standing tall in every individual in the crowd — shoulder to shoulder.

“He is the man of development. I have started working for BJP for 4 years now. It is his time and we must support him,” Gulam Hussain, a businessman present in the crowd said.

Soon, slogans began to fill the air – ‘Desh Ka PM Kaisa ho, Narendra Modi jaisa ho!” The women supporters broke into an impromptu garba. In a distance, Narendra Modi fan club activists carried out a procession. And the scene turned into a victory parade replete with dhol and nagara. The mood bubbled even higher up.

At 6.28 pm party president Rajnath Singh officially announced anointment of Narendra Modi as party’s prime ministerial candidate for forthcoming Lok Sabha elections — and Khanpur turned into street of joy — thunderous clapping from inside the office and 30 minutes of non-stop fire crackers heralded Modi’s arrival in to the national forum. Hugs, shakes and general air of bonhomie lifted the mood even higher up. Party spokesperson IK Jadeja finally gave the icing on the cake by requesting each party worker to be present at the airport at 9 pm to welcome Modi when the latter returns from the national capital.