Gearing up for a massive show of strength the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to bring a crowd of over 5 lakh in the first rally of party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to be held Kanpur on October 19.
"Party workers drawn from across the state are expected to take part in the rally. It would be a grand rally with a crowd of over 5 lakh expected to take part in this," BJP state president Dr laxmi Kant Bajpai told The Pioneer here on Monday.
He said that meetings are being held at all district units in which party workers and BJP sympethisers are being asked to attend the rally in big force. "We are very sure not only the BJP but the common man on the streets will also come in large number to listen to Narendra Modi," BJP state president said.
Modi is expected to address three rallies. First of the series will be held in Kanpur on October 19 followed by the second rally in Jhansi on October 28 and third rally will be held in Bahraich on November 8. Incidentally, all these three parliamentary constituencies have Congress MPs - two of them are ministers in Dr Manmohan Singh cabinet. The series of rallies will culminate on December 25 with a massive rally in the state capital.
Sources in the party claim that organizations like RSS and VHP have also been asked to make this first rally a big success in the state.
Though Modi is yet to set his foot on the soil of Uttar Pradesh, the political rivals are blaiming him for all the prevailing ills. The BJP claim that state Government was willfully trying to prevent Modi from holding rallies.
"After much confusion the district administration in Kanpur has allowed rally in Bidha Park with a rider that ground below high tension wire would be made as no-man’s land," Satish Mahana, MlA from Kanpur cantonment area said.
He said that party wanted to organise the rally at a bigger ground because we are expecting over 5 lakh people but the permission for the same was denied. "The Samajwadi Party Government has bias towards BJP. It is scared of the popularity of Modi and therefore does not want rallies to be held in UP," he said.
Defending the Government Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani said that state government has nothing to do with the rallies. Permission is given by local administration as granting permission is their prerogative," he said.