By the time Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi had completed his 65-minute speech at Delhi University’s Sri Ram College of Commerce, it was evident in the loud cheers and deafening clapping that he had won many hearts. Unlike other politicians, Modi did not leave the venue soon after the programme got over. Instead, he went around meeting students personally.

Modi delivered the talk on “Emerging business models in the global scenario”.

Some students told Governance Now that he was invited because they overwhelmingly indicated their preference to hear him. And they were not disappointed by their choice, they said in a chorus.

Wednesday’s visit of Modi, who is seen as the next prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, to the national capital drew attention in the media not usually accorded to state chief ministers. In fact, a number of news channels telecast his extempore speech live.

Using the platform to reach out to the youth, Modi said his focus is on the development politics and not on vote-bank, which he said has ruined the nation.
He added that the growing strength of the country’s youth was considered by some politicians as only a constituency of the new-age voters. “I don't think we can change the situation like this. I would like that India should accept them as new-age power and not just new-age voters,” he said amid thumping applause from the students.

While there was also protest outside the college against Modi, the leader won many hearts and inspired many more with his speech inside the college.
Resham Bagania, a final year student told Governance Now, “If the model that has been used in Gujarat is applied across the country, we would achieve a lot."

Meenakshi Khinmal, a second year student, said, "It was really motivating. Most of us want to start our own business but we are always apprehensive and we thought that taking up a job abroad is easier. But he has shown us a new perspective. And I feel we can achieve our goal if we really work hard."
Amrish Behariya, a second year student, said, “He has been able to find the root cause of problems in the state and followed a direction to find the solution. That is how we can achieve good governance in our country. He is the real youth icon and he has proved that if you have the will, you can achieve your goal. It was really inspiring to hear him. He was energetic and not even for a second we felt bored.”

However, there were also some who were disappointed in the crowd.

Chinmay Goel, a final year student, told Governance Now, “I was expecting him to speak about Gujarat's growth model. But he was just flaunting his success.”

Referring to Gujarat's progress, Modi said the state’s model was based on being pro-people as well as good governance (something he referred to as P2G2, i.e. pro-people, good governance). He said the biggest challenge was to use human resources to their full potential.