Earlier, Shri Jayesh Patel the President ,welcomed the gathering and recognized the community leaders as each of them honored Shri Chandrasekhar Sahu, and Janakbhai Kotak. He thanked the audience for making it to the meeting despite being a working day and heavy traffic. Shri Patel talked briefly about the achievements of OFBJP in USA and listed the activities of its 21 chapters across the nation. Shri Rakshpal Sood, senior advisory council member said in his thoughtful speech that Kashmir is with India because of the sacrifice of Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji. He also talked about the sacrifices made by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay for the sake of the country and exhorted Indian Americans to live frugally and think big for the welfare of the society and the nation. Later, Shri Suresh Jani, Past President, introduced Shri Janakbhai Kotak. Shri Kotak talked about the massive development of Gujarat under the dynamic leadership of Shri Narendra Modi and sought the support of Gujarati expatriates for BJP in the upcoming assembly elections.

  Shri Chandrakant Patel, President Elect, who also hails from Chattisgarh, introduced the visiting minister Shri Sahu. In his introductory speech, Shri Chandrakant Patel praised Dr. Raman Singh led BJP government of Chattisgarh for presenting a separate budget for Agriculture. He emphasized the special attention being given to the Agriculture sector by the BJP government in Chattisgarh. Shri Patel listed out the special amenities such as Smart Cards, free seeds, subsidized fertilizers etc being given out to the farmers. Talking about Chattisgarh’s surplus energy, he said that electricity is not only given 24/7 in the state but also distributed to other states. He also revealed that Shri Sahu is representing a place (Champaran) in Chattisgarh, where Sant Vallabhacharya Prabhu was born and he touched the philosophical bonding between Chattisgarh and Gujarat. He also said that OFBJP will work hard for the cause of BJP among Indian American community and in India during the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat.

  The program emcee was Shri Ram Kamat, General Secretary and the national Treasurer Shri Krishna Reddy requested the audience to join OFBJP and be a partner in serving the community and India. Shri R. P. Singh, Org-General Secretary; Shri Arvind Patel, chapter coordinator; and Shri Sandeep Patel, hotelier graced the podium.

  Shri V. K. Sabhapathy, Jt. Treasurer; Shri Bala Guru, Council member; Shri Nilesh Mehta, and Shri Pramod Bhagat, dedicated members; and Shri Jaswant Takkar Patel helped in organizing the event. Mrs. Neelima Madan, NY leader conducted the QA session. Shri Krishna Reddy gave vote of thanks followed by a tasteful dinner.

  Notable community leaders like Shri Chandrakant Trivedi (Chairman of Brahmin Samaj of USA and former President of FIA), Shri Harish Mehta (Deputy Vice Chair of Democratic Party-NJ, and Chairman of Lions Club), Shri Himanshu Desai, Shri Jagdish Patel, and presidents of various seniors organizations graced the occasion. Shri Actor Patel entertained the audience with his bollywood performance talent. TV Asia and other print media covered the events.

  Later in New York, Shri Sahu met with the India’s representative at UN mission and discussed about the UN conference In Brazil. He also met with in-charge of economic affairs at Indian Consulate in New York and discussed about Chattisgarh related subject areas. Subsequently, he traveled to Washington DC and met with immediate Past President, Dr. Adapa Prasad who also hails from Chattisgarh and learned about OFBJP activities in Nation’s capital. He visited the famous library of Congress at Capitol Hill and later met with Deputy Chief of Mission at Indian embassy, Shri Arun Singh to discuss about the outcomes of UN conference before departing to India.