Hyderabad:
At the BJP state office at Nampally in Hyderabad today, counters opened to allow people to register for
Narendra Modi's rally in the city on August 11.
Amid a fusillade of criticism, the party has rescinded a decision to charge an entry fee of Rs 5 per head for the Gujarat Chief Minister's speech. Instead, the contribution is now voluntary, labelled " a delegate fee" and the money raised will be donated to relief and rehabilitation funds for Uttarakhand, which was savagely pounded by flash floods and landslides last month.
The Congress had said that the fee for the event indicates the "true market value" of Mr Modi, who is the BJP's campaign-in-charge and widely seen as the front-runner for the party's prime ministerial nomination.
Online, people can register for Mr Modi's rally at
www.modifyap.in. The site has a form for registration but gives no indication on how many have registered so far. Even before the site became operational, BJP functionaries were claiming that thousands had registered online to attend Mr Modi's rally.
The party has booked the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad for its star speaker. The venue can accommodate 30,000 people, thats the seating strength. The BJP expects one lakh people to attend.
The party has said 10 youth volunteers in each village are being selected to carry the campaign forward. Mr Modi's posters and message are to be carried to every village in the state.