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Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have appealed people and party workers not to celebrate his birthday on September 17, but this has not stopped Gujarat BJP from organising a grand felicitation programme for him and his close aide and party president Amit Shah.
Both will be coming to Gujarat for the first time after assuming their respective posts at the national level.
Party cadres from elected members of the legislative assembly to members of the municipalities have been invited for the grand welcome function to be held on outskirts of Ahmedabad on September 16 afternoon.
As many as 15,000 party members are expected to attend the event where state level and national level leaders are also expected to arrive.
The welcome would begin from the airport itself where Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel and other cabinet minister will receive Modi and Shah. According to BJP sources, all party workers have been asked to come to airport for welcome of Prime Minister.
After the welcome Modi will be taken to Tri-Mandir on the Mehsana-Ahmedabad highway where party workers from across the state would be gathering to felicitate Modi and Shah.
Though the BJP leaders are tight-lipped over what programmes have been planned for the event, they said that programme is likely to continue till 8 pm in the evenings.
Modi had appealed on Sunday to friends and well-wishers not to celebrate his birthday and instead dedicate time and resources towards relief work in this hour of need for flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir. His appeal came amid plans to celebrate his birthday across the country, including Gujarat where he will be present that day.
"I am hearing from different places that friends & well-wishers are planning various programmes and events for my birthday. My humble request - do not celebrate my birthday. Instead, dedicate yourselves towards relief work in Jammu and Kashmir through your time and resources. The need of the hour is to stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers of Jammu and Kashmir," Modi had tweeted ahead of his 64th birthday.
