BJP used PM’s visit to make new joinees ‘feel at home’

Modi not only allowed all leaders, who had quit Cong to join BJP, to speak but also listened to them patiently

CHANDIGARH: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday leveraged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Punjab visit for inaugurating a cancer research institute in Mohali as an opportunity to show inclusiveness to leaders who have left the Congress to join BJP.

While the BJP leaders had originally chalked out a formal meeting of the PM with handful of state leaders, only ex-ministers and former legislators, who shifted loyalties from the Congress to BJP, were invited.

While the BJP leaders had originally chalked out a formal meeting of the PM with handful of state leaders, only ex-ministers and former legislators, who shifted loyalties from the Congress to BJP, were invited.

According to a former Congress minister, who is now in the BJP, the PM went out of the way in order to treat the group of former Congress leaders. Leaders, who were part of the meeting, said the Prime Minister, not only picked up his chair to come closer to the leaders but even asked the security personnel to go outside the tent set-up on the helipad for more privacy.

“He allowed all leaders to speak but also listened to them patiently. Taking direct guidance from him to work for the party was a memorable experience. His humbleness and knowledge for Punjab impressed us all,” former health minister Balbir Singh said.

“It was a more of really present surprise for all of us. He made us feel at home and was totally indulgent and full of grace. The Prime Ministers have very strict protocols and that is why we were not expecting this kind of interaction where everyone was free to speak,” said Jakhar.

Apart from Jakhar and Balbir Sidhu, those former Congress leaders who interacted with Modi include former minister Raj Kumar Verka, former minister Rana Gurmit Sodhi, Arvind Khanna, ex-MLAs Kewal Dhillon and Fateh Jung Bajwa. Former SAD leader Didar Singh Bhatti was also present in the meeting.

Union minister Som Parkash, national general secretary Tarun Chugh, state party chief Ashwani Sharma, state general secretaries Subhash Sharma and Jivan Gupta and state vice-presidents Rajesh Bagha and Dyal Singh Sodhi, Rajinder Mohan Chinna were present in the meeting.

The BJP made at least 100 party leaders, including those who have come from other parties and contested on the Congress tickets, to greet the Prime Minister when he landed at Chandigarh Technical Airport.

“Interaction of the ex-Congress leaders who had recently joined us was planned under a strategy but even we were not expecting that the Prime Minister will meet them in such an open atmosphere,” said a BJP leader.

The party is already upbeat over the PM’s visit keeping in view the kind of welcome he was given by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led state government.