As the Congress leaders in the state organise “chintin shibirs”, the irrepressible Narendra Modi is typically one step ahead. With the Lok Sabha election buzz in the air, the Chief Minister has virtually launched himself into poll orbit, highlighting the developmental and welfare schemes by his government.

The performance of all ministers is being reviewed, while Modi holds meetings with party MLAs every Tuesday and gets regular feedback on how effectively his government’s developmental programmes are being implemented in their Assembly segments.

At the same time, the Chief Minister has also unleashed measures to counter the UPA Government’s much-publicised loan waiver package for farmers. During the month-long Krushi Mahotsav held recently, the state Government distributed farm kits among 15 below poverty line families in each of the 18,000 villages across Gujarat.

In the state-wide drive, over one lakh government employees, besides ministers, secretaries of departments and local BJP workers were involved. They travelled on as many as 230 motorised “Krushi Raths”, educating villagers about modern farm technology and exhorting them to increase their crop yields. Modi himself participated in the annual Mahotsav and addressed farmers’ conventions at several places.

Aware of the fact that his party lost miserably to the Congress in the tribal belt in the 2007 Assembly polls, the Modi regime has started implementing vigorously its ambitious Rs 15,000-crore Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana (tribal welfare scheme).

The CM has been holding review meetings with senior officials of tribal, panchayat, rural development and other departments to ensure effective and speedy implementation of the scheme in the entire eastern tribal belt.

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