AGARTALA: The resonating cry of BJP's 'chalo paltai' in Left-ruled Tripura brought in large crowds of people to the Vivekananda Stadium here on Thursday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit the campaign trail for the second time in this hilly state-a day before Rahul Gandhi is set to arrive for another rally. Everyone was curious to hear the Prime Minister speak. They had seen him on television, some had played and replayed his speeches on their mobiles. Getting an opportunity to see him in real life was too tempting.The venue, in the heart of the city, was brimming over with people by noon. Some said the footfall had crossed a lakh and that such a gathering was not witnessed at the stadium since it was renamed three years ago. Susama Baidya, 76, and others could not enter the venue and listened to Modi's speech from outside the ground. Rabindra Debbarma, an IPFT supporter from Simna village, came with 200 followers, but could not enter the stadium either. "We were told Modiji would address the rally at 2pm and we reached the town around noon but got stuck in jam. Our vehicles were also parked about 2 km away. We had to listen to him from a distance," rued Debbarma.Susama, hailing from South Anandanagar in Agartala, is a CPM supporter. She likes Modi because he has streamlined projects launched by the previous government for the poor. She is getting pension under the central social security scheme and her only son Bishnu, a motor mechanic, has a got a loan under Prime Minister Mudra Yojana (PMMY). This loan has really turned the wheels of fortune for Bishnu."I am equally indebted to Manik Sarkar for supporting our livelihood in the past 15 years. But my son has become an admirer of Modi and our house is full of calendars showing pictures of Modi. Whenever he gets a chance, he shows me videos of Modiji," she said.Her son has managed to motivate the entire village to switch over to BJP. "I also thought of supporting BJP. My son would get teased because I am a Left supporter. Finally, I picked up the BJP flag," said Baidya.

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