BJP stages torchlight rally protesting security breach during PM's Punjab visit

BJP activists took out a torchlight march which they called `Janakrosh' (public angst) through the streets of the steel city of Jamshedpur to protest an alleged security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Punjab visit yesterday.

Led by National Vice-President of BJP and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das and BJP MP from Jamshedpur Bidyut Baran Mahato, hundreds of party workers and leaders took part in the march, which began from local party headquarter in Sakchi and culminated at the main roundabout of the locality.

Placard carrying BJP activists raised slogans against Congress party and Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi throughout the march, protesting an alleged breach of security when the Prime Minister's cavalcade was stalled by protesting farmers on a highway in Punjab while travelling to the site of a political rally on Wednesday. Addressing the gathering, Das said such ''shameless misuse'' of government machinery (by the Punjab government in not ensuring a snafu-free trip) was never witnessed in the country's history as during Prime Minister's visit to the border state.

The breach in the security forced the Prime Minister to wait for 20 minutes on a flyover, BJP leader said.

Punjab Government must reveal how the protestors assembled on the route and how they came to know about the confidential route map of the Prime Minister while he was on way to Firozpur, Das demanded.

Demanding a high-level enquiry into the incident, Das said the security breach, forcing Modi to wait on a flyover, which was barely 10 kms from Pakistan border, was a ''grave conspiracy''.

In his speech, Mahato said Congress party was indulging in ''politics of hate'' against a popular Prime Minister.

Describing the incident as ''cheap politics'', Mahato regretted that Prime Minister had to return without attending the scheduled programme.