If one thing that the people of Jharkhand came for at the ‘Vijay Sankalp Rally’ it was indeed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. The Modi phenomenon brought people of all hue and colour to the Prabhat Tara Ground where they waited patiently to listen to the man whose popularity touched them before the man himself touched the venue of rally.
Fans donning white caps, pink turbans, wearing Modi’s mukhauta (mask), party stole, party flags reached the rally venue in great numbers. People marched to the rally venue while chanting slogans of Modi and gyrating on the patriotic songs played by the bands which accompanied them to the venue. The fervour of the enthusiastic crowd reached enigmatic proportions within a fleeting moment. The fans of Modi turned up at the venue on foot, car and motorcycles.
Although the crowd comprised people representing different social stratum they were surprisingly similar on the raison d'êtres for attending the rally. For the people who started their journey from far-flung places to those who could have watched Modi on television within the comfort of their houses, he possibly represents a ray of light at the end of a dark tunnel and hence the reason for their presence at the rally ground.
“Do we have any other option besides ModiIJ The country is fed up of Congress Raj and now they want a change. Modi is a precursor of that change. He developed Gujarat into a model State and this is what people expect him to repeat in other parts of the country,” said Rajesh Kumar Gupta, who has come all the way from Palamu.
Notably, special vehicles were arranged by party MlAs to bring people from their constituencies to Ranchi. Besides, party followers also came in their vehicle. The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate seems to be leading the party successfully in the intended direction ahead of the lok Sabha elections scheduled sometime in the next year.
The mood of the crowd suggests that Modi’s magic has matched the exuberance of youth which the Congress claims to be personified by vice-president of the party Rahul Gandhi. “His (Modi) charisma is equivalent to that of Rahul Gandhi. The party which was scoffed at for fielding older candidates for the prime minister’ post has turned the table on Congress with the help of Modi. He is a fighter,” maintained Rahul Kumar of Chatra.
Residents, mostly women, living in the vicinity of the Prabhat Tara ground came out of their houses and waited for Modi with patience exhibited only by dedicated party men. Although they did not know much about the man touted to be the strong contender for the post of prime minister yet they gave standing ovation to the man as he waved at them. “Bahut naam sune hain inka. Sab bolta hai pradhan mantri banenge. Inka sambodhan sun ne ke liye aaye hain (I have heard a lot about him (Modi). People say that he will become Prime Minister of India so I came to hear his speech,)” said Santwana Singh, a housewife.
Incidentally, all roads leading to the Prabhat Tara ground were full of vehicles bearing stickers and banners of the BJP interspersed with party sympathizers on foot. Nonetheless, roads in most part of the city, except near the rally venue, remained congestion free for the most part of the day.
Significantly, supporters of Modi disapproved of the “communal” tag given by opponents and instead questioned the credentials of the Congress which they deem is carrying a bigger baggage of riots than the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Modi has been recently exonerated by court in connection with Godra Riot case.
“Sab hawa ho gaya hai Modi ke aandhi main. Congress ye bhi to bataye ki Sikh virodhi dange kisne karwaye they (Everything has vanished in thin air. Congress should tell who was behind anti-sikh riots,)” said Sanjay Kumar, a native of Ichagarh block.