Ahmedabad, Jun 9: Forget the shenanigans going on at the BJP Goa meet over naming Narendra Modi at the chairman of the party's election campaign committee, Modi has already gone one step ahead.
With his close confidantes Amit Shah and Jayanti Bharot, the Gujarat strongman has already planned a 100-day Bharat Yatra to project himself as the BJP face to lead the party in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The yatra, of course, will be on weekends to garner more listeners, and will originate from either Haridwar (Uttarakhand) or from Uttar Pradesh, Ahmedabad Mirror reported.
A professional agency has been hired and all minute details, venues and itinerary have been worked out.
Amit Shah, who was recently given charge of Uttar Pradesh, is said to be the brain behind this yatra. This yatra will be different from L K Advani's yatras in the past.
The professional agency that has been hired has already decided the route, itinerary and halts that will be made.
While Amit Shah has done the planning, another Gujarat BJP leader Jayanti Barot has planned the itinerary and details of the yatra route in Gujarat.
Barot has also been handed over the responsibility of the rath (chariot) which will carry Modi in this yatra.
“The rath will be a state of the art vehicle with adequate security features to ensure the CM's safety.
"The yatra schedule has been planned meticulously including the itinerary, route of the yatra, details of the places where the yatra will halt and people who are attending the yatra.
"Shah is busy giving finishing touches to the yatra that has a budget of Rs 150 crore and has coordinated with the state functionaries across India,” a BJP leader told the newspaper.
“The yatra will commence from Uttar Pradesh — where Amit Shah is presently in charge or from Haridwar. The final decision will be taken by Modi and Shah,” the leader added.
“Every facet of the yatra has been planned by a professional agency that has decided everything, including the number of people that will attend the yatra at each stop.
"From basic facilities such as water and snacks to media coverage, focus at different halts, crowd management and media management have been planned by this agency being guided by Shah and Modi.
"They have also planned amenities being provided to the yatra workers,” he said.
“The yatra will not be completed in one stretch. It will be held over weekends so that the chief minister can reach out to a maximum number of people.
The idea is to allow Modi access to the maximum number of people and spread his message across the country,” said the leader.
“Modi believes that once he launches the yatra, he will be unstoppable. His elevation as the prime ministerial candidate will be a foregone conclusion” , the leader said.
A huge contingent of BJP leaders from the state has landed in Goa to support this yatra.
These include BJP President R C Faldu, National BJP Vice President Purshottam Rupala, National BJP General Secretary Amit Shah, State Revenue Minister Anandi Patel, Finance Minister Nitin Patel, State General Secretaries Bhikhu Dalsaniya and Shankar Chaudhary.
