Happy Diwali, have to say it with Modi

Multiply that into 28 MPs, 117 MLAs and around 100 BJP office-bearers and that’s a whole lot of Modi cards going around ahead of the Gujarat Assembly elections, scheduled for December 12.

State unit chief Rajendrasinh Rana said he didn’t know anything about the cards. ‘‘Nor do I know whether the party got such cards printed,’’ he said.

But the fact is that the cards, with the party symbol printed on each one of them, are displayed on the notice board of the BJP’s office in Khanpur.

One card has a picture of Modi with a map of Gujarat and the slogan ‘Gujarat has only one resolution, Gujarat should become number 1.’ Another shows him climbing down some steps, his hand extended, with the catchphrase ‘First people use to run around to meet the Government, but now it is the Government which runs around to meet the people.’

A third reaches out to Gujarat’s tribal population: it has pictures of Modi and a tribal girl and the slogan ‘I am a beggar, please promise me you’ll educate your daughter.’

There are two cards featuring the Narmada dam: ‘What’s flowing in Narmada is not just water, it’s also electricity,’ intones one of them.

This latest self-promotional stunt has come in handy for Modi-baiters within the party—especially those in the Keshubhai Patel camp.

‘‘Had the party issued cards highlighting the Government’s achievements, we would have definitely sent them,’’ grumbled one party worker.

‘‘The cards show how crazy Modi is for publicity. Even during the Gaurav Yatra, he tried to take credit for the achievements of the Keshubhai government. This hasn’t gone down well with many party leaders,’’ he added.

A BJP MLA from Ahmedabad added, ‘‘Why should I send Modi cards? But if I don’t buy them, I may be on the list of those hated by him. Diwali is a festival to greet people and send our best wishes, but sending these cards instead will brand us as Modi’s men.’’