Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday had a freewheeling meeting with Punjab's top BJP leadership, including several turncoats who joined the party from the Congress in the recent past, after inaugurating the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Mohali. Sources present in the meeting told the Indian Express that Modi interacted with the party leaders in an informal manner, even telling the SPG personnel to move his chair to get closer to them. He spent nearly 40 minutes in the meeting, which was considerably more than the time he took to wrap up his speech after inaugurating the hospital at Mohali. Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma introduced the party leaders to Modi. Sources present in the meeting said that as Sharma sought to introduce Sunil Jakhar, the former chief of Punjab Congress chief who joined BJP in May this year, Modi intervened saying the leader needed no introduction. Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, who too is a Congress import in the BJP, it was learnt, urged Modi to visit Ferozepur again. Notably, on January 5, Modi had to return, cutting short his scheduled visit to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur after his cavalcade was stranded at a flyover for over 15 minutes on the way due to a security breach. Rana Sodhi said that the PM assured to visit Ferozepur but the date of visit has not been finalized yet. Another Congress turncoat Raj Kumar Verka cited his stint as vice-chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes and visiting Gujarat. Modi was also learnt to have invoked his stint as prabhari of Punjab BJP and said that he was very much concerned about the state. A leader who attended the meeting said Modi expressed concerned about depleting water table in the state. Another leader said that Modi mingled with the party leaders and was very “happy with the response he received during the Mohali event”. The leader added that Faridabad event he attended earlier in the day was “three-time bigger in terms of crowd, but PM was very happy with the energetic response he received in Mullanpur from the party cadre”. “The underlying message was to win Punjab,” said the leader.
