What makes Narendra Modi click with the audiences in his rallies outside Gujarat? According to some sources within the BJP, it is the "homework" he does before addressing any gathering. Some trusted men in his Ahmedabad office are tasked with gathering information like the area's local history, problems plaguing the people, their aspirations and the region's caste equations — two recent examples being his rallies in Kanpur and Jhansi.

      

Sources said, three days before Jhansi rally, a BJP district unit leader received a call from Modi's Ahmedabad office seeking details on certain points including history of Jhansi, personalities of importance —- both past and present —- the problems of farmers and development related issues. A detailed report was sent via e-mail toModi's office. The report had mention of Hindi poet Maithili Sharan Gupta and hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand who hailed from the district. Incidents related to freedom movement, details of farmer suicides in Bundelkhand region, poverty and migration of local people to other states for livelihood also found mentioned in the report —- as they did in Modi's speech in Jhansi.

Addressing the rally, Modi termed Bundelkhandregion a "Veerbhoomi" and said that "roti" (chapatti) and "kamal" (lotus) had become the symbol of revolution in 1857 during freedom struggle. On the lines of war cry of Rani Laxmi Bai who had said "Meri Jhansi main nahin doongi", Modi said, "Beimanon ko nahin denge, mera desh nahin denge." The Gujarat CM also spoke about migration of local people and said, "Mera Gujarat, Bundelkhand ke paseene se chalta hai (Gujarat functions owing to hard work by people from Bundelkhand)".

Ahead of his Kanpur rally, Modi's team had collected similar details from a party leader from Kanpur. Sources said a state general secretary had sent an email, detailing the required information in 11 points two days before the rally. Apart from local history, the mail also talked about the closed textile units and other mills in Kanpur. In his speech, Modi highlighted that most of mills in the industrial city had been shut down causing unemployment and migration of locals.