Patna: Massive security arrangements have been made for the much-publicised rally of a ruling party being held in Patna on Sunday to seek people’s support for putting the Bihar state on the path to more development. The authorities are showing extra alertness after the chief minister Nitish Kumar was greeted with slippers, chairs, black flags, rotten eggs and violent protests by the angry masses during the course of his state-wide tour to mobilise people’s support for his rally.
The security has been beefed up amid reports that 250,000 teachers appointed by the ruling Nitish Kumar government on contractual basis could disrupt the rally. Thousands of teachers have already arrived in the state capital and are protesting seeking regularisation of their jobs.
The “Adhikar Rally” — billed as the “mother of all rallies” in the state — to be held at Patna’s historic Gandhi Maidan for seeking Special Category status to Bihar is being organised by the chief minister Kumar’s Janata Dal (United). The JD-U has claimed around half a million people will be making it to the rally.
Authorities said they have installed number of CCTVs at vantage points and will also be seeking helps from helicopters to keep a close eye on the activities of the crowds. They have also set up door frame metal detectors at all the entry gates to ensure the crowds could not carry any lethal weapons or instruments.
As a precautionary measure, the organisers have arranged no chairs for the crowds coming to attend the rally and instead will be made to seat on the ground. “There will be no chairs for the crowd. Only the Press gallery will have chairs. When you people fling chairs, at least I will have reason for a query,” the chief minister told the media on Friday while reviewing the rally preparations. At some places, the crowds had flung chairs targeted at the chief minister during his state wide tour to seek people’s support for the rally.
The police administration yesterday said they are making deployment of 10,000 around the Gnadhi Maidan venue to control the mob. Quick reaction teams will also be deployed at various locations in the state capital. Authorities said adequate numbers of mobile anti-riot vehicles are also being deployed at various places in the city to instantly tackle any untoward incidents, if any.
According to the organisers, around 800 loudspeakers and 35 LCD screens have been put up at the venue for the convenience of the crowd. Meanwhile, crowds have begun arriving in Patna ahead of Sunday’s rally and taking shelters in tents arranged by the JD-U lawmakers, ministers and leaders.
The JD-U has booked eight trains and around 20,000 buses to ferry the people to the venue.
Curiously, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the junior coalition partner in Kumar-led National Democratic Alliance government, significantly, has been kept out of the rally which seeks support of every citizen from Bihar to have that status which if granted, the rulers say, will fast-track development works across the state.
Meanwhile Patna is ready to host the rally with thousands of posters, banners, billboards and hoardings have come up in every nook and corner of the city, inviting the people to join the rally in large numbers to pressurise the federal UPA government at the centre consider the long-pending demand.
In order to make the rally successful, the JD-U leaders are working overtime — launching foot marches in the areas, making door-to-door contacts or taking our cycle rallies to convince the masses join the rally and show their solidarity.
The chief minister himself has been reviewing the preparations of the rally and has engaged all his ministers, party lawmakers and leaders to bring as much crowds to the venue and remove any doubts of him loosing charisma as was seen during his month-long state-wide tour when the people protested against him.
That is not all. Huge tents have come up in official residences of every JD-U lawmakers and leaders to provide proper lodging and fooding to the guests.
Observers too say more than seeking special category status to Bihar, the rally is basically a “show of strength” for Kumar in particular and JD-U in general given the increasing attacks of the opposition on his government.
“We will once again pulverise the opposition in the elections held in future”, Kumar told an audience in Patna on Wednesday but the opposition party has alleged the JD-U was using the services of the people with shady characters to draw crowds at the rally site. The ruling party has also been accused of forcing local businessmen and traders to collect money in the name of the rally.
“Some Rs4 billion has been collected in the name of rally but the government is silent,” alleged chief spokesman of opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal Ram Kripal Yadav. He alleged that the common people were facing a lot of transportation problem as most of the public transport has been reserved for the rally.
