On home turf, Modi woos tribals on 67th birthday

The Arts College at Mota Hathidara of Limkheda town in Dahod district of central Gujarat had all the trappings of an event to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Being his 67th birthday, there was a massive 67-feet cutout of Modi (a novelty in these parts). There were school children and local artistes performing to songs in praise of Modi: “(He is) son of Hira ba, ruler of Delhi. Hail Modi, Hail Modi…” and “Duniya mein danka bajaay diyo re, Rahul ko paani pilaay diyo re…” (The one who has left his mark on a global stage and left Rahul (Gandhi) huffing.

Traditional theatre (bhavai) was used to inform the audience about steps the state and Central governments had initiated for their welfare. And finally there was a young tribal boy, who delivered a speech in English to highlight how he had benefitted from schemes launched during the Modi regime in Gujarat and after.

“Did you ever imagine a tribal boy would deliver a speech in English, that too at a function to celebrate 67th birthday of our beloved prime minister?” said BJP state president Jitu Vaghani.

But he could not elicit any response from the 80,000 strong crowd plus hordes outside the venue. The police had to block the Jhalod-Limkheda highway to control the surging crowd. However, the massive gathering seemed indifferent to the presence of a number of stalwarts on the dais and refused to join in raising patriotic slogans that generally resonate events of the BJP and its governments.

It was after repeated cajoling and requests that a section of the crowd joined the chorus. The BJP, through this event, was hoping to win over the tribal electorate in the region, especially at a time when the Patels and Dalits were up against the party. Speeches by former chief minister Anandiben Patel and her successor Vijay Rupani were also focused on highlighting the achievements of their governments and efforts the BJP was putting in for the upliftment of the tribals.

Nevertheless, they failed to set the tone. The crowd, it appeared, had come only for one man – Modi. Thousands had trekked or driven down from nearby villages of the five tribal districts to see their prime minister in flesh and blood, a first for them in over a generation.