Agartala: The city wore a festive look on Sunday in view of the brief visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to kick off the campaign for the upcoming assembly poll scheduled in February next year while the movement of people and vehicles in the northern part of the city up to airport has been restricted since morning.
The Tripura government has arranged two special trains, 600 buses, and 2500 light vehicles to ferry people from different parts of the state to Vivekananda Stadium where Modi will address the gathering in the afternoon.
To ensure an impressive attendance at the rally, the government issued a circular directing all officers and employees of state and central government offices to attend the PM’s rally.
Teachers and students of 12 prominent schools in Agartala have been assigned to perform yoga, dance, and welcome songs in the various locations on the road between the airport and rally ground when PM’s convoy will move.
Besides, as many as 16 cultural troupes have been mobilized to showcase the state’s cultural diversity to Prime Minister.
“The state government is extra careful with this visit of PM, as his program was postponed twice in two months apprehending less attendance. In August, this year BJP had a flop show at ADC headquarters in the maiden rally of BJP national president J P Nadda. Thereafter, royal scion Pradyot Kishore and CPM had two mammoth rallies in Vivekananda Stadium, for which BJP was a little scared of the gathering in PM’s rally and the entire government machinery was used to ensure gathering,” said a senior bureaucrat in the state administration.
A team of BJP workers led by State’s information minister Sushanta Choudhury has been cooking at Agartala railway stations for 10,000 rally hoppers since Saturday night who are coming from North and South Tripura district by trains.
The party has also arranged packet food and water near the stadium for the people joining the rally from West Tripura, Gomati, Sepahijala, and Khowai districts, said BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee.
“We expect over 50,000 in the rally although 72,000 people are in the target. Since, this is the last rally of the PM before the election is declared and also, the kick-off election campaign for BJP, we have left no stone unturned to make it overwhelming,” Bhattacharjee said, adding that today’s rally will change the entire political landscape of Tripura for ensuing assembly poll.
Chief Secretary J K Sinha said PM will launch the ceremonial ‘home entering’ programme of 2.05 beneficiaries of PMAY, inauguration of Rs 4300 Cr projects including the state institute of hotel management, widening of Agartala bypass, and Agartala Govt Dental Medical College while laying the foundation for 232 km road network under PMGSY-III, and 542 km long 112 road projects of the state.
