No grand welcome for Modi in Mumbai

Bhartiya Janata Party has changed its plan of putting up a grand show in welcoming its newly elected election campaign chief Narendra Modi to the city on Thursday.

The plan was cancelled in the wake of the tragic floods in Uttarakhand.

The Mumbai unit of the party had organised a grand welcome for Modi on his first visit to Maharashtra after his appointment as the head of the campaign committee.

However, Modi supporters now have been directed to avoid the bouquets and garlands and keep the welcome a low key affair.

This has been the second occasion on which the state BJP was forced to keep a low profile on felicitating Modi.

The Mumbai unit of the party had organised a grand felicitation function at Somaiya ground to celebrate Modi’s success in assembly elections earlier this year.

The drought in nearly 14 districts of the state was on the high then and the party sensed the mood of the people and cancelled the function.

A party leader said that Modi will have a meeting with key leaders from the state on Thursday.

“He will attend a meeting of core committee to be held in morning to discuss the strategy of the elections to be held next year.

Apart from Nitin Gadkari, Gopinath Munde, state unit chief Devendra Fadnavis, general secretaries and deputy presidents will attend the meeting,” he said on the condition of anonymity.