NaMonia : Admission fee for Modi rally!

First time in India people pay for attending a political meeting
Proceeds will be utilised for Uttarakhand flood relief

In a major turnaround for a political rally, moving away from the trodden path of bribing people with goodies, money and even alcohol, Narendra Modi is changing the practice with his upcoming rally at L B Stadium on August 11.

The BJP state unit has announced an entry fee of Rs 5. Some political parties have criticised the move but sources at the BJP unit say that the response has been good. Be it hanging out on Google to interact with fellow Gujaratis overseas or addressing multiple gatherings at same time through Skype, NaMo always has a penchant for doing something new and different. BJP supporters and Modi fans already paid for the fee have received delegate passes, which is an entry pass for the meeting.

It should be noted that, though this practice is new in India, it is common in the US where people pay to attend political meetings (called as conventions). BJP state president G Kishen Reddy called it a voluntary contribution for a youth conclave and added that the proceedings would be used for Uttarakhand flood relief activities. “We have 150 divisions in the city and each division has 2-3 counters. We have also started distributing delegate passes,” said a BJP spokesperson.

The party’s target is to mobilise as much crowd as possible in the age group of 18-40 as the BJP believes that the youth play a prominent and significant role in a country’s future and wellbeing. The party is also aiming to reach out to a large number of professionals and college students.

“I registered a month ago for the NaMo show on August 11 at LB Stadium and was wondering if it was just another one of the online hypes. Today, I got an SMS and an e-mail asking me to collect the delegate badge from the BJP office or at the Stadium on August 11. I am going to collect them tomorrow at the BJP office,” says a surprised yet excited, Suresh Kochattil.