Narendra Modi rally goes high tech

Patna, Oct 26: For those who would not be able to make it to BJP's mega event 'Hoonkar Rally' tomorrow, the party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's speech at the home turf of his bete noir Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar can be heard on mobile phones.

The speech can be heard by dialling 022-45014501 and the caller would have to pay for it, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Nand Kishore Yadav told reporters at the venue.

BJP General Secretary and in-charge of Bihar Dharmendra Pradhan said the rally would be Modi's first political engagement in Bihar and would be 'historic and crucial' for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

"Bihar heralded political change in the country in 1974 through JP movement, the Hoonkar rally will be crucial in the 2014 polls," Pradhan said. Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi flagged off a mobile tea stall named 'NaMo tea stall' to highlight the Gujarat Chief Minister's childhood as a tea seller in trains.

Top BJP leaders, including Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy were at Gandhi Maidan to supervise the final preparations for tomorrow's rally. Giving details of the programme, Yadav said BJP President Rajnath Singh and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will arrive here tonight.

Narendra Modi will come tomorrow around 1 pm from Ahmedabad by a special plane. Narendra Modi will come straightway to the venue from Jayprakash Narayan Airport to address the rally and would fly out after two hours, he said.

Yadav said there would be two platforms for the rally tomorrow and elaborate arrangements have been made for the convenience of people participating in it.

In the first platform, besides Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitely and 57 other senior and state leaders would be present. In the adjacent platform, party MPs, MLAs and MLCs would be seated.

The party has hired hundreds of cranes which would be deployed at Mahatama Gandhi setu linking Patna to Hajipur to ensure there is no traffic jam. Private guards would also be on duty at the Gandhi setu to ensure smooth movement of vehicles tonight onward.

Besides, hiring 11 trains and about 10,000 buses to bring people to the rally venue, people from riverine belt more than 100 country boats would reach sailing through Ganga river.

The administration has made comprehensive arrangements for tomorrow's rally. District Magistrate N Shravan Kumar said more than 100 parking spots have been created in the outskirts of the city for parking heavy vehicles.

Emergency services have been given due attention and ambulances would be on alert. Magistrates have been directed to help people reach their examination centres on Sunday, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj said more than 5000 police personnel will be on duty and CCTV cameras will be in place at important intersections.

PTI