Day before PM rally at Patna’s historic maidan, NDA leaders focus on menu to gauge mood

On Saturday, as JD(U)’s Bihar unit president and Rajya Sabha member Bashistha Narayan Singh tried his hand with the sieve, taking out pooris from big pan in a makeshift kitchen at his Hardinge Road residence in the state capital, he claimed his party is making arrangements for the stay and food of thousands of party workers and supporters reaching Patna for the rally.

As Singh oversaw arrangements, some JD(U) leaders discussed how to register their party’s presence at the rally. “We obviously do not want the BJP to take all credit for the rally’s success. While they (BJP leaders) are busy addressing press conferences, we are making efforts to get more crowd, and take good care of the party workers,” a senior JD(U) leader present there said.

Rajya Sabha MP and JD(U) national general secretary (organisation) R C P Singh claimed the party has made arrangements for stay of more than 40,000 people at his residence — 7, Strand Road, where tents have been put up, and confectioners are at work to make poori, vegetables and bundi (a sweetmeat).

At his 11, Strand Road residence, LJP state president and state minister Pashupati Kumar Paras oversaw preparation of food. He showed freshly made bundi – “to be served with poori and vegetables” — and said, “We have made similar arrangements at the party office and several other locations in the city.”

Maintaining that the rally will be a “guaranteed success”, he said LJP expects maximum turnout from Hajipur and rural areas of Patna and Nalanda.

A BJP leader said: “We have worked on a practical strategy to draw crowd from adjoining areas such as Jehanabad, Arwal, Ara, Gaya and Nalanda rather than getting people from far-flung districts…. All MLAs, MLCs and MPs, besides senior party functionaries, are hosting party workers; there will be arrangement for good food all around.”

Sanjeev Chaurasia, BJP MLA from Digha constituency, next-door to Patna, has been assigned the task of taking care of stay and food arrangements. The BJP is using the ground in Patna’s Miller School to host party workers coming for the rally.  BJP national spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said there will be a good turnout from Bhagalpur.  BJP’s Bihar in-charge Bhupendra Yadav said it will be a “historic rally”.

On security arrangements, Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey said nearly 12,000 police personnel will be on guard at and around Gandhi Maidan during Modi’s rally.