PM’s April 14 visit to Haryana blends power, pilgrimage and politics
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Haryana on April 14 carries strategic importance for both the state and the BJP. Timed with Dr BR Ambedkar Jayanti, the visit is a calculated move that blends infrastructure development with symbolic outreach, particularly to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community.
Modi will inaugurate Haryana’s first commercial airport in Hisar and flag off its maiden flight to Ayodhya, while also laying the foundation stone of an 800-megawatt unit at the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant in Yamunanagar. These two major announcements, bundled into one visit, reflect the BJP’s focus on development and socio-religious consolidation.
The party’s choice of April 14 — the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar — is no coincidence. Coming after the BJP’s hat-trick win in the October 2024 Assembly polls and a clean sweep in municipal elections, this visit marks Modi’s first official post-victory appearance in the state. It’s being seen as a gesture of gratitude and a calculated move to reassure SC voters, a section where the party faced criticism during the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections for alleged constitutional overreach.
Calling it a “matter of great pride for Haryana,” BJP state president Mohan Lal Badoli said, “After the formation of the triple-engine government, he (Modi) is coming to Haryana, and he has two programmes in a single day. Modi ji keeps Haryana so close to his heart.”
Badoli’s comment isn’t far off the mark. Modi, during his stint as Haryana affairs incharge in the 1990s, stayed in modest accommodation in Panchkula, shared meals of khichdi — often prepared by Manohar Lal Khattar — and rode pillion on Khattar’s motorcycle. The BJP is keen to tap into that emotional connect, especially on Ambedkar Jayanti.
For new Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini — praised by Amit Shah as a “man of action” — this visit is a golden chance to showcase Haryana’s development record and assert his leadership outside Khattar’s shadow.
Hisar airport’s commercial debut ends Haryana’s long wait for domestic air connectivity, especially for residents of Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Rohtak, Jind, Bhiwani, and Charkhi Dadri. The symbolic destination — Ayodhya — adds another layer of religious messaging.
Meanwhile, the foundation of the new Yamunanagar power unit aims to silence critics who have long accused the BJP of ignoring the state’s power capacity. It also signals a shift away from dependency on costly out-of-state power purchases.
Modi’s visit, coming close on the heels of Amit Shah’s recent trip, once again underlines Haryana’s growing importance in the national political landscape. The BJP machinery is already in motion, with teams working overtime to ensure the visit’s success.
Haryana Tribune