How far has Gaurav Yatra taken BJP?

DWARKA: Not any more the slogan 'Bhay, Bhukh aur Brastachar' coined by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel. The new slogan under Narendra Modi is 'Samrudh, Salamat aur Surakshit Gujarat'. The earlier slogan did not take the BJP too far in the last four-and-a-half years. The BJP leadership is now hoping that the new slogan of three 'Ss' would enable them to catch the fancy of voters.It is too early to say how 'samrudh' (prosperous) or 'salamat' (safe) Gujarat was post-Godhra, but the slogan has surely given the BJP leadership some confidence of getting political mileage.While the BJP leaders claim that the response to the yatra was "overwhelming", the ground reality and real picture was deceptive.People had indeed come out to welcome the yatra as it passed through their region, but was it out of curiosity or love for the party is debatable.The confidence of the BJP leaders about the success of the yatra at the end of the second phase could premature at present. Only Assembly elections and votes secured by the party can tell how successful the yatra was.In the almost 700-km yatra route that took Modi and his team through six districts, not once did the chief minister announce any development work that would be undertaken by the BJP government. But for a passing reference to girls' education, there was nothing else in the name of developmental work on the agenda.On many occasions during the course of the yatra, the chief minister referred to the communal situation arising after Godhra. Modi made all efforts to project himself as the saviour of Hindus, and at places like Upleta and Dhoraji he also gave the impression that he was protector of even the minority community.Besides, the excessive mention of 'Miyan Musharraf' and 'Italy ni beti' for Sonia Gandhi may have had a negative effect, particularly in the rural areas of Saurashtra. A number of women that this correspondent talked to on the yatra route were of the opinion that "such utterances were an insult to women, whoever it may be".The second phase of the yatra may have come to an end without any hiccup, but the BJP will have to realistically estimate whether it an impact on the minds of the voters. What the party will appreciate is that much more still remains to be done.