‘Saffron wave’ at venue as thousands gather

New Delhi: The temporary structure off the Pushta Road was unmissable. One knew it had to be the venue for the Vijay Sankalp Yatra — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first election rally in the capital — because of the loud, patriotic music and dhol beats emanating from there. Also, because no other colour save saffron was visible at the site in Ghonda in the North East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency on Saturday.The crowd had coming from 4pm and by the time Modi arrived in a helicopter, there were thousands at the sprawling venue. Even Pushta Road, which divides the congested bylanes of densely populated Ghonda and the Yamuna floodplain, was fully occupied.The enthusiasm was palpable as the crowd frequently burst into ‘Modi, Modi’ shout and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ when the local Delhi BJP functionaries, outgoing members of Parliament and the current candidates addressed the people.In the gathering was Sita, one of the refugees from Pakistan who recently became a citizen of India under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. “We are eternally grateful to the PM. We can now move anywhere in India,” she said.Factory worker Ram Sharan, 41, too praised Modi for “doing a lot for the country”. He said, “Modi badiya vikas kar rahe hain, Parivaar Uttar Pradesh mein kheti karta hai, seedhe account mein paisa aata hai (Modi is doing great work. My family till the field in UP and money is transferred directly into our bank account).”Nitin Kumar, 24, an executive in a private firm, said he had full faith in the PM’s vision. "Ees sarkaar ne road connectivity ke liye bohot kaam kiya, Modi ji kabhi chutti nahi lete sirf desh ke liye kaam karte hai, humne Modi ji ko kabhi beemaar padte bhi nahi dekha (This govt has boosted road connectivity. Modi never takes a holiday, just works for the country. We’ve never seen him being ill),” he said.The BJP candidates of North East Delhi, East Delhi and Chandni Chowk spoke before Modi. Manoj Tiwari, who is seeking re-election from North East Delhi, said the entire opposition was forced to come together to be able to fight the PM. “Modi govt has fulfilled every work. When you go to vote on May 25, ensure BJP's victory in all seven seats of Delhi,” Tiwari said.Chandni Chowk candidate Praveen Khandelwal said Modi worked for every section of society and alleged that Congress had looted the country. “Congress has worked to obstruct the progress of the country,” he claimed. East Delhi candidate Harsh Malhotra said this election was like a “religious war” with Modi on one side and “all corrupt parties” on the other.Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the 2024 election was to make India a world guru. “Whatever development we have seen in Delhi in the last few years is because of PM Modi,” he claimed.Former Congress member Arvinder Singh Lovely, who re-joined BJP recently, took a jibe at Aam Aadmi Party and said what happened at the CM’s residence was “disheartening”, alluding to the alleged assault on party MP Swati Maliwal.