Becharaji, zero mile of Modi yatras, retraces a decade

"The last time he came here in 2002, he did not come in an aircraft. He shared the dais with more people. Nobody knew him then, but a 15,000-strong crowd was in attendance," says 72-year-old farmer Bachubhai Tribhovandas Patel as he recounts Chief minister Narendra Modi's last visit to Becharaji, a temple town in Mehsana district where he kicked off his month-long Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra on Tuesday.

"He has not got us anything that we did not already have, except very good prices for our land," Patel says.

"Land prices have gone sky-high after Maruti Suzuki decided to set up a car manufacturing plant near Hansalpur. Even a bigha of land is being sold for as high as Rs 2 crore," says Patel, who owns 60 bighas of farm land in the area.

As Patel gushes about his changed fortunes, Modi is heard telling the huge crowd, "Today, big people land in Ahmedabad as it is a hub of economic activity. I will transform Becharaji from a humble temple town to an industrial hub. A day will come when the shopkeeper in this town will be confident to open his shop according to his mood."

But there are others in the crowd who do not share the exuberance. Suresh Dalabhai Turi, a Bhavai artiste dressed in a bright yellow sari, complains about his wages having remained the same as what they were in 2002, when he performed in Modi's Gaurav Yatra here. Hailing from nearby Mandadi town, Suresh is busy performing on BJP's sauno saath, sauno vikaas (inclusive growth with collective efforts) theme.

"I have been getting around Rs 1,500 for my seven-member troupe for more than a decade. But now we are busier since the elections are coming up and we perform for the party. We have done maximum number of our performances on the theme of 'Beti Bachao and HIV/AIDS prevention in Gujarat. I remember performing a half-an-hour-long skit during Modi's Gaurav Yatra in 2002," says Suresh, who only plays female characters since the women of his community are not allowed to perform in Bhavai, a folk art form of Gujarat.

... contd.

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