Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed visit to the state on August 23 has entered a limbo yet again following the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. With the union government declaring a state mourning period of seven days, the date of the visit has become uncertain. Earlier, the day-long visit of the PM was scheduled for July 20 which was postponed to August 23 following heavy rains in Saurashtra and South Gujarat. The PM is scheduled to take part in public functions at Junagadh, Valsad and Gandhinagar during his visit. Valsad Collector C R Kharsan said, “The state mourning is till August 22 and the visit is scheduled for August 23. So far, I have not received any message for cancellation or postponement of the visit. So currently, we are working for the event as per plans.” In Valsad, the PM is scheduled to dedicate around 2 lakh houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana at a function. At the same venue, Modi is also scheduled to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony for an irrigation project for the South Gujarat region. “After Vajpayee ji’s death, uncertainty is prevailing over the visit. We are eagerly awaiting a message from the higher ups about the visit so we can plan accordingly. However, there is no clarity on it so far,” sources in the party said. “So far, we have not got any intimation from the Centre about the visit,” an official in the state government said.
