2002 Gujarat Gaurav Yatra: How PM Modi turned a tradition into governance tool

New Delhi : The 22nd anniversary of Gujarat's 'Gaurav Yatra' spotlights Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unique style of governance, his zeal for party activities and a connection with the masses.

PM Modi, the pioneer of the BJP's yatra culture, held countless yatras -- statewide, interstate, and even pan-India. His first major Yatra as the Chief Minister came with the grand 'Gujarat Gaurav Yatra'.

PM Modi, the harbinger of change transformed the yatra, which the party used to raise organisational issues into a powerful tool of governance.

Usually, the yatras are organised by political parties to gherao the government, but unlike that, PM Modi's Gujarat Gaurav Yatra communicated governance topics by a government while in power, a phenomenon never seen before.

PM Modi, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, used the rally to directly connect with people and showcase the state government's achievements under his leadership.

In a post on social media platform X, Modi Archive, which narrates the journey of the life of PM Modi through archival pictures, videos, audio recordings, letters, newspaper clips and other such content, posted about the Gujarat Gaurav Yatra and its impact.

Just a few months after taking office as the Gujarat Chief Minister in October 2001, he interacted with the masses on the welfare of the poor, water crisis and female literacy.

The yatra, held to uphold Gujarat's pride, covered 5,000 kilometres traversing through 25 districts and 182 Assembly constituencies and drew a huge response from the masses.

Just at the launch of the yatra, visionary PM Modi had declared that it would not only celebrate Gujarat's pride but also transition into a 'Vijay Yatra' -- a march towards victory --and, ultimately, a 'Vikas Yatra ' -- a journey towards development.

Riding high on the success of the yatra and his government's achievements, the BJP led by PM Modi secured a thumping victory in the 182-member Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

With PM Modi's good governance, around 25 crore people in the country rose above poverty in 10 years of the NDA government.

Several welfare schemes like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, PM Mudra Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Smart City Scheme, and Make in India have been launched by the Modi government transforming people's lives.