It was for the first time that State unit of the BJP had organised such a mammoth rally at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan in which party’s PM candidate Narendra Modi was the star speaker and it was perhaps for the first time when a political rally had become the target of serial bomb blasts. But the way BJP leaders handled the situation at that moment is quite commendable or else hundreds of people could have lost their lives in stampede.
Senior BJP leaders like Sushil Kumar Modi, Shahnawaj Hussain, Nand Kishore Yadav and others maintained their cool and showed no signs of panic when the bombs went off one after another.
When the first bomb blasted at Gandhi Maidan, BJP leader Shahnawaj Hussain announced that it seems that a vehicle tyre burst….there is nothing to worry about. And, the crowds remain glued to their place. When another bomb went off after some time, another BJP leader
Sushil Kumar Modi announced that someone has burst a cracker as the festival of fire crackers has approached. And, again the enthusiastic crowd refused to budge from their place.
“Once the blasts started we immediately came to know something unusual is happening and it might be serial blasts taking at regular interval but we kept on announcing diverting people’s attention from it to avoid any major happening”, said Sushil Modi..
He also said that all speakers including Narendra Modi deliberately avoided making any mention of the blast knowing well that it might trigger commotion which would lead to stampede.
“One can merely imagine what would have been the situation if the news of the serial blasts had spread among the assembled crowd. Hundreds of people might have lost their lives but God has been kind enough to save us and our leader Narendra Modi,” said BJP leader Giriraj Singh.
However, political observers have felt that the BJP leaders could manage the situation at the difficult time because they get such political training to manage public events. But, the other party leaders donot know how to tackle such situations, they said.
“The political training the BJP leaders get at Sangh shakas and at ABVP training sessions come to the rescue of hundreds of people on Sunday when serial blast happened at their rally in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan”, said one poll pundit.
Meanwhile, the common perception reeling in the State is that it was all the presence of mind of State BJP leaders which averted a major tragedy to happen at the rally ground.
The Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too had appreciated the move taken by the BJP leaders to avert any stampede like situation and appeal for peace and harmony after the blast.