Gandhinagar: The Vibrant Gujarat Global Agriculture Summit that ended here Tuesday was overshadowed by a man projected by his admirers as India's next prime minister: Narendra Modi.
As thousands of farmers from all over India gathered under one roof over two days, it was more than clear that the Gujarat chief minister was the unstated hero of the event.
With Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and ministers from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh egging Modi on to play a larger national role, there was no stopping the loud pro-Modi slogans in the halls.
Soon after the conference began Monday, the first speaker who received thunderous applause was Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Ramkrishna Kusmariya when he described Modi as "India's future".
So vocal was the clapping and cheering that Kusmariya had to halt briefly for silence to set in at the packed 5,000-strong main auditorium at Mahatma Mandir conference complex.
