A packed hall with people running around hunting for seats, photographers fighting for space and anxieties rising with every tick-tock of the clock, the clamour surrounding the Gujarat chief minister’s arrival was palpable. It was one of anticipation.

About a couple of hours later, as Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi left the venue, the clamour was even more palpable. This time it was one of excitement.

Crowds had packed the venue — Le Meridien hotel in central Delhi — at least an hour before the programme was scheduled to begin and the stage was set for what people were hoping would be a counter-strike to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s address at the Confederation of Indian Industry meeting barely three days ago.

As Modi made his opening remarks at the 29th annual general meeting of FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) minutes before noon on Monday, apologising for deferring his address and thus leading to a change in venue, all delivered in his trademark casual and witty style, the hall that was abuzz with energy erupted in guffaws and applause.

From the heart-warming stories of women sacrificing and being sacrificed to fulfill the whims and fancies of a male-dominated society to the success stories of Jasuben’s pizza in Ahmedabad and Lijjat papad in the state, Modi was a complete sell-out. Members of the fair sex, present in majority, were seen nodding their heads in approval and appreciation of the Gujarat model of empowering women.

“It is a fantastic model that has been developed in Gujarat. It needs to be replicated across the country to ensure that women move from the sidelines and join the mainstream economy,” Malvika Rai, appointed the new president of FLO, said afterward.

Two years ago, Modi had addressed a similar gathering of the federation. Asked about his appeal, and why the federation approached him a second time, Naina Lal Kidwai, the FICCI president, said, “He has been working successfully for empowerment of women in his state. Today, he presented a wide variety of women-centric schemes that are being implemented there.”

Kirti Sethia Bengani, an FLO member for the last one year, said: “The federation has been working at the grassroots level for the last 29 years. So it is very important to invite ministers (political leaders) who have themselves been responsible for higher growth and development levels. Modi is an ambassador of good governance and was an apt choice to address the meet.”

Fellow FICCI member Rajalakshmi Rao, who has been a member-judge in the national consumer districts redressal commission and associated with FLO for over 15 years, said: “We could all connect to what he said; his speech definitely moved me, and most of us. He is not somebody who fears anything and the nation does need leaders like him — people with a vision and the wherewithal to implement it.”

Post-speech, comparisons between the addresses of Modi and the 70-plus minute speech of Rahul Gandhi at the CII’s national conference in the capital last week were inevitable, as chatter of how Modi kept his address short and precise filled the air.

Modi had more than once taken Gandhi on over the last few days for comparing India to a “beehive”. However, people at the FICCI event were seen applauding the fact that the BJP leader steered clear of making any overtly political remarks. “The highlight of his speech was that he did not politicise the event. He did not use the platform to take digs at his political rivals; that is something all of us took note of,” Kidwai pointed out.

However, Vaishali, who has been working with the federation since 1999, said it wasn’t enough to discuss the ordeals and issues of women in a women-centric gathering. “Most of us are aware of the issues we face. It is about time he (Modi) took these discussions to the centrestage so that concrete solutions are found,” she said.

Hitting back at Modi for failing to talk about “real issues” at the national level and suggesting possible solutions, Shilpi Arora, a governing body member of FLO and Congress spokesperson for Uttarakhand said: “His speech was very disappointing. As a member of FLO, I was waiting to hear him also talk about his recommendations that could be implemented at the national level — not just brag about his achievements in Gujarat.”