In Xi’s visit, Modi sees world’s ‘approval of absolute majority’

Beginning his two-day visit of Gujarat on Tuesday, Modi addressed the state’s BJP workers at Ahmedabad airport in which he did not make a single mention of the bypolls results in various states of the country, including Gujarat.

Earlier, at the reception outside the Ahmedabad airport, Modi said that one of the reasons for his coming to Gujarat was Xi’s visit, emphasising that heads of foreign states should visit different states and cities of India since the country is full of diversity. Modi said, “This is a good beginning. Foreign heads of states should also see small states of the country, (they should) also visit small cities (because) by only visiting Delhi one cannot understand the entire Hindustan. This country is full of diversities.”

Commenting on the Centre-state relations, Modi stated that irrespective of the party in power in the states, their relations with the Centre should not be strained. “We are working with the Team India approach. For this, we need to make our federal structure strong. Only then will the country progress.”
Even as the bypolls results announced on Tuesday gave the BJP a setback, Modi said, “There have been discussions about vision, big vision and grand vision. I only want to say that I am a small person and think about small people. By thinking small for small people I am trying to make them grow.

Nobody was thinking about these small people.” He then cited the example of Jan Dhan Yojana, rescue efforts in Jammu & Kashmir and how he was the first PM to visit Nepal in 17 years.

Modi said that for the BJP workers, he was not the PM, but “Aapna Narendrabhai (Our Narendrabhai). Both Patel and Shah mentioned the work done by the Modi government in 100 days and showered praise on the audience ferried to the venue from various districts of Gujarat.

Modi, in turn, also praised the Patel government. He said, “Many people tell me that Gujarat is doing better work for the welfare of the people than my government. This is what I call my success. I had mentioned before leaving Gujarat that I can be successful only when the state makes more progress in my absence.”

At the airport, Modi thanked the Gujarat BJP and the people of Gujarat for felicitating him. He said that getting felicitated in one’s native land by those with whom he had worked for Gujarat for 14 long years was quite precious. Reminiscing his days in Gujarat government as Chief Minister, Modi said that his training during those years had provided him enough skills to lead the country. “A normal person (who had been the head of a small state) would get baffled to handle the affairs of such a big scale. But I have got such training (as Gujarat CM for 14 years) that I have been able to understand the basic issues of the country, the situation of different people and their problems in a short span of time quite naturally.” He also expressed a sense of satisfaction for this.

Modi concluded his speech at the venue by remembering Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. He said that his two-day stay in Gujarat would rejuvenate him to provide strength to perform better in Delhi. He said that Gujarat is the  land of Gandhi and Sardar and the air of this land had strength.