Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a floral welcome upon his arrival at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Sunday ahead of the BJP's parliamentary board meeting to decide on the chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Modi also held roadshow instead of simply driving down to the BJP headquarters in New Delhi for the meeting.
PM Modi, along with BJP President Amit Shah, also addressed party workers outside the party office.The party held a Parliamentary Board meeting at the BJP head office in Delhi after PM Modi concluded his speech. Once the meeting was over, Union Health Minister JP Nadda addressed a press conference where he said that Information & Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Rajya Sabha MP Bhupendra Yadav have been appointed as Uttar Pradesh observers.
Nadda added that Narendra Tomar and Saroj Pandey have been appointed as observers for Uttarakhand whereas Piyush Goyal and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe have been named observers for Manipur. Nadda further added that Amit Shah has been authorised to take the final call on the chief ministers after observers submit their respective reports.
Dinesh Sharma, who is the mayor of Lucknow, is reportedly one of the faces for the CM's post in the state. Siddharth Nath Singh is also said to be one of the ministers being considered by the party leadership. And UP BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya is also in the race. NDTV quoted BJP sources as saying that spiritual guru Satpal Maharaj is one of the front runners for the CM's post in Uttarakhand.
Meanwhile, Manohar Parrikar resigned as the defence minister of the country on Sunday and will be returning to Goa as its chief minister after BJP leaders met Governor Mridula Sinha and staked claim to form government in the state. BJP has also staked claim to form government in Manipur after the National People's Party (NPP) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) extended support to the party in the state.
PM Modi, in his address to party workers outside the BJP office in Delhi, said: "People are voting for development now. I see a new India in the making. I am witnessing the foundation of a new India with the results of the elections.... I see aspirations of youth and women in this new India. Even the poor want to be self-reliant in this new India. Election victory is nothing but an order of the public. We must strive to carry out this order of the public."
He also wished everyone a Happy Holi and says that every festival is a symbol of progress. He added that he hopes that the festival of Holi "will give us the power to serve." He was felicitated by Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Shah on stage. PM Modi also paid tribute to Deendayal Upadhyay at the BJP headquarters.
"I wish everyone a very, very Happy Holi. Holi inspires us to destroy all shortcomings. It give us the strength to go forth with our schemes for the betterment of mankind. Besides electing governments, elections are also an event of creating awareness. That is very important for a country like India. People are coming to vote in large numbers and celebrating the festival of democracy," the PM said.
He added: "I don't live by election calculations. My target is 2022, not 2019. 2022 will mark 75 years of India's Independence. We have five years to contribute to change India... If everyone bears the mood of development, then all our dreams and progress would be achieved. This is the environment we need to create. This was boosted by the mandate in these five states."
PM Modi thanked voters for helping them win the elections by coming out in huge numbers to vote for their franchise and assured them that "we will leave no stone unturned for the betterment. I assure all five states that their trust and faith in the BJP will not go to waste." He also thanked Shah for carrying out the elections in a fair and democratic manner.
PM Modi said that the empowerment of the poor was cruicial to the progress of the country. "India can prosper only when the poor get an opportunity to study, work and ear. The poor of this country are its strength. The middle class is burdened today. They have to pay more taxes, follow all the rules, bear a huge financial burden. This burden should lessen... I can identify the power of the poor. If we empower them, the country would progress," he said.
PM Modi added: "We are capable of making mistakes but will never work with wrong intent, will work very hard and that I will work with proof... The governments we form will be for those who voted for us and those who did not vote us. It will be also for those who stood against us. The government and the BJP has no right to discriminate. The government is for all. We will keep working for the poor. We will keep working to make a new India."
The prime minister also said that this election was "an emotional issue for us" since it has come at a time "when we mark the centenary celebrations of Pandit Deen Dayal Ji." He added: "Generations of individuals have given their lives to build this party. They travelled all over India to make the party strong. Atalji, Advaniji have sown the seeds in the country to see this result."
The victory speech comes after the BJP registered an astounding win in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assembly Elections. BJP workers lined up the streets starting from Windsor place roundabout till the BJP's office at Ashoka Road awaiting the prime minister's arrival. Modi arrived at Hotel Le Meridien in his SUV following the roadshow and walked down to the BJP office, greeting party workers along his way. Posters and hoardings congratulating Modi on his success in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh were put along the road in the capital.
According to NDTV, the roadshow is being held after taking into account the sentiments of the party workers who wanted a direct interaction with PM Modi. They believe that it was the prime minister who led the party to victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The party also believes that the roadshow will help Modi reach out not just to those states who voted for BJP, but also to those who are preparing for polls including Gujarat.
