President Pranab Mukherjee has curtailed his Bihar visit by a day — a decision which could probably end the face-off between the BJP and the Janata Dal(U) over Narendra Modi's rally in Patna on October 27.
Mukherjee’s Bihar visit was scheduled for October 26 and 27, but his October 27 programme clashed with Modi’s Hunkar rally on the same day. The President will now return on the same day — October 26. He has cancelled his programme to unveil a statue of late Babu Jagjivan Ram, father of lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, which was earlier scheduled for October 27 in Ara.
The BJP had accused Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of scheduling the President’s visit in a manner that it should create created hurdle in Modi’s event, as President’s schedule could have put restrictions on road traffic and movement of Modi’s supporters and BJP workers.
“We felt concerned that the Hunkar rally of Narendra Modi in Patna on October 27 may cause inconvenience to the the President. The President informed us that he will be in Patna on October 26 only for two hours. We are profoundly grateful to the President and will welcome him in Patna," BJP general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy told the media after meeting Mukherjee.
Party spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said, “BJP leaders will be there in Patna on October 26 to welcome President Pranab Mukherjee. It is an honour for Bihar to welcome the President on one day and the future Prime Minister of India (Modi) the next day."
Bihar BJP leaders have great hopes from the rally. This would be the first public function in recent years where Modi will speak. During alliance with the JD(U), which had reservation in doing business with Modi, the BJP had kept the Gujarat CM away from that the State.
After the 17-year-old alliance between the two broke in June this year, Bihar BJP leaders have turned vocal in Modi’s support. With RJD chief lalu Prasad in jail and no sign of a revival of the Congress, BJP leaders feel it would be a direct contest of sorts between them and the JD(U).
The BJP is hoping to capitalise on Modi’s popularity in Bihar and is equally confident that his presence would swing a large section of the OBC voters towards the BJP. Party leaders have been holding smaller rallies in different parts of the State to protest against the “betrayal” by Nitish Kumar and with the Hunkar Rally in Patna, the party plans to show its strength.
The party claims Modi’s rally in Gandhi Maidan of Patna would be the “biggest” in Bihar’s history.