NDA’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rendezvous with Punjab has been shelved, at least temporarily. The much-talked-about ‘Fateh Rally’ of the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate, which was expected to sound the poll bugle in Punjab, has been postponed due to inclement weather conditions.
This is not for the first time that Modi’s rally was deferred. Modi was to earlier participate in the rally to be held at the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s birthday on December 8 at Moga, but could not owing to Assembly polls
in four States.
The rally was then decided to be held at Moga, but the venue was later shifted to Jagraon citing safety reasons.
The decision to postpone the rally, scheduled to be held on December 21 at Jagraon in ludhiana district, was taken on Tuesday “jointly” by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and the State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Kamal Sharma.
Even as the next date has not been decided, both the leaders have maintained that the rally could be organised in the month of February, next year. “Rally would now be held in February and its date would be announced soon,” said Sukhbir and Sharma, in a joint statement.
“The rally has been postponed considering the poor weather conditions and the thick fog engulfing the entire Malwa region. The decision has been taken jointly by the SAD president, BJP national president Rajnath Singh, and Punjab BJP affairs in-charge Shanta Kumar after consulting the Metrological Department,” the state BJP president told The Pioneer.
He said that the decision has been taken keeping in view of the safety aspect. “As thousands of people are expected to participate in the rally by traveling from far-flung area, the poor visibility may prove fatal for some…so it was decided to postpone the rally for the betterment of all,” he said.
“The weather forecast for the next three days and forecast of rain on December 21 is the reason for postponement of the rally. Keeping in view the weather forecast, it is realised that it will be too inconvenient for the public to travel in thick fog and rainy conditions,” said SAD secretary and spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema.
He added that apart from that, “It will also be difficult for the NDA leaders including Narendra Modi to travel by air…So, keeping in view all the conditions, it has been decided to postpone the rally to February 2014. The new date would be announced soon.”
Cheema added that all the worker meetings, scheduled to be addressed by SAD president at Sangrur, Jagraon and Jalandhar on Wednesday, stand cancelled.
Aiming at making Modi’s rally the “largest political rallies ever held in India”, the coalition partners were eyeing an audience of five-lakh.
“We have all the things prepared. The work of pandal, stage has been completed by 70 per cent. Rest of things has also been planned and lakhs of rupees have already been spent. Meetings are going on. And now, everything has come to halt,” said a BJP leader, while talking with The Pioneer.
For the purpose of the rally, a huge pandal was being set up in an area of 96 acres with four large stages for the prominent leaders attending the rally.
The rally was to be attended by who’s who of the NDA including former Deputy Prime Minister lK Advani, BJP national president Rajnath Singh, among others.
Sukhbir himself was supervising over all the preparations and have already given a wide range of instructions to the party rank and file including the need to ensure that normal traffic was not disrupted in the State on the day of the rally.