BJP's Hunkar Rally Live: Narendra Modi reaches out to Muslims

14:25 pm: No mention of bombs, but Modi calls for peace Just before a show of unity on stage, Modi makes a plea for peace. Notably, he hasn’t spoken about the explosions that occurred before his arrival. At the end, however, he asks the crowds to leave peacefully and without any accidents. “Let there be peace in the country,” he declares. 14:20: “Not just a historical rally”: Modi reaches out to Muslims Narendra Modi is now attempting to reach out to “my Muslim brothers”. Muslims in Gujarat are more affluent, can afford to go for the Haj pilgrimage, he contends. While there is a quota for over 7,000 people for Haj from Bihar, only 6,000 applications come in every year, he says. He compares that with the statistics from Gujarat – 40,000 applications every year for the 4,000 quota spots. “Who do Muslims want to fight? Do you want to fight Hindus or poverty?” This is Modi at his evocative best, reaching out to the Muslim community. “Our government will have only one religion: India First, nation first, Bharat sab se aage.” Modi has also touched upon the need for special status for Bihar, and the request to Delhi for a special package. Even if the Centre does not respond favourably, it’s “only a matter of 200 days now,” he says, promising that a BJP-led government at the Centre would do what the UPA could not. 14: 10: “I understand your challenges, empathise better than others do” It’s now time to pick out the UPA’s self goals – statements on Rs 26 as a daily income as a marker of poverty, a meal in Rs 12. Both come in for mockery. “I used to sell tea on trains. I know more about the problems of the railways than the rail minister does,” he says. This yields huge cheers – he’s telling the lakhs who have gathered that he is one of them, he understands their daily challenges, there is no disconnect between their daily crises and his own understanding of them 14: 10: Jobs, inflation, hunger – Modi touches the usual points now Modi says the Minimum Common Agenda of the UPA was a complete failure – 80 per cent of items to have been completed in the first 100 days of power have been forgotten. He speaks of the Ganga, the river’s clean-up still incomplete. Next topics are jobs for youth, hunger, price rise. “Mothers are feeding their children only tears.” 14:00: Why I called Rahul Shehzaada Until now, he’s been railing against Nitish Kumar. Now he’s turned to the Congress. “They want to know why I called Rahul Gandhi ‘shehzaada’. Let the Congress abandon dynastic politics. I will then stop calling him a prince.”  Modi has shown he can keep abreast of the very latest news, his pulse on what the nation is discussing right now – the controversy over the ‘shehzaada’ term was on the airwaves just last night. Everything that goes against the grain of true democracy is reflected in the rule of the Congress, Modi says. 13:55: Modi says he preferred to be insulted by Nitish than allow jungle raaj in the state The country comes before party for us, says Modi, claiming that he supported a coalition government in Bihar for this purpose. Modi has just staked claim to the much-reported progress the state has shown on various counts. “It was the BJP’s ministers in the state who  charted this course,” Modi claims. While state BJP leaders had repeatedly invited Modi to Patna during the coalition government’s term, he had decided not to go in order to protect the government. “It’s okay if I was insulted – I was keen that the state should not be taken over by Jungle Raaj.” The divorce of the JD (U) and the BJP is not Nitish’s betrayal of the BJP, it is a betrayal of the crores of Biharis, Modi says. “WIll you punish the betrayers? Will you wipe them out? Yes, yes, yes,” the crowd responds to Modi’s exhortions. 13: 45: Modi takes on Nitish, calls him a hypocrite  Nitish is my friend, says Modi of his former ally.  But Ram Manohar Lohia and other socialist leaders will never forgive his betrayal of socialist principles, he alleges. There’s more coming up about the Bihar chief minister. Nitish reportedly visited Gujarat for a wedding and was treated to Dhokla, Khaman, Gujaratio dal, Gujarati kadhi and “every type of sweet” by Modi. Mehmannawaazi, the tradition of welcoming guests, these are among the principles of public life, says Modi. He says he even showed polite concern to Lalu, a known critic, when he heard of the latter’s accident. 13:35: Shankhnaad, the sound of conches, to welcome Modi Modi attempts several lines in Bhojpuri, the crowds are going berserk  We know from his team’s tweets that he’s talking about the glorious history of the state. 13: 30: The Congress, the PM and Rahul Gandhi criticised Rajnath Singh targets the Prime Minister first – how can the CBI interrogate this prime minister, he says. “The PM does not speak.” Potatoes, onions, coal – anything Dr Singh lays his hands on, that thing disappears, he adds. Then it’s Congress vice-president who is the subject of the next barbs. He ends with claims that the BJP does not play the communal card. 13:20: Modi is the choice of millions, not just of the BJP It appears that BJP president Rajnath Singh wants to ensure that Modi’s image as bigger than even the party is cashed in to get more votes. “Modi is not just the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. He is the choice of millions of Indians,” he says. If there is anybody, any single leader who can set right the downward course the country has begun on, then that is Modi, insists Rajnath. Inflation? Corruption? Economy in the doldrums? Agrarian crisis? The BJP is the answer, according to Rajnath, reaching out to different sectors of voters ranging from traders to consumers to shopkeepers to farmers, “all of Hindustan”. 13:10: Winds of change stronger now than in 1977: Jaitley Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, one of the key strategists for the BJP in its 2014 campaign, is speaking now, having flown down from Delhi especially for the rally. “The Central government is the most corrupt in history, it has destroyed the economy,” he says. Earlier, he said, “I have seen the elections of 1977 but the excitement and winds of change…those who do not understand this will be blown away with it.” 13:00 hours: Shatrughan Sinha, Arun Jaitley speak As Shatrughan Sinha welcomes the leaders and the crowds, Team Modi tweets details of who’s in attendance – “Shri Rajnath Singh and Shri Arun Jaitley are present. Entire leadership of Bihar BJP, National leaders from Bihar, National BJP leaders are present,” the tweet says. Clearly forgot to mention that L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj have chosen to stay away from Narendra Modi’s most critical rally to date. 12.55 pm: Narendra Modi arrives A rousing welcome for the BJP’s PM-candidate Narendra Modi. This is, after all, his most important rally to date – not just to put former ally Nitish Kumar, who blocked Modi’s entry into Bihar for years, in his place, but also to stake his claim to parts of the country that have not had the opportunity to welcome him before. 12.45 pm: Sushil Kumar Modi speaks, calls this rally bigger than Lalu’s  Former deputy chief minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi is speaking. “More than half of the people attending the rally are youth, the youth are with us and the youth are with Narendra Modi,” he says. Then adds: “In my 40 years of public life, I have seen JP and Lalu rallies. I have even seen  JDU rallies. But this rally has broken all records.” History will never forgive you, Modi tells Nitish, accusing him of “betraying” the people of Bihar. 12.30 pm:  Three blasts ahead of rally, motive appears to be to cause commotion This is by far the biggest Narendra Modi rally ever, says Firstpost’s Sanjay Singh who is at the rally venue. “Lakhs of locals have walked to the venue too,  the numbers are now greater than the turnout at the Bhopal rally last month,” is Sanjay’s update. There are now rumours of a pipe bomb and firecrackers being recovered in a 100 metre radius from the stage. The intention is clear, to cause commotion. Apart form the eight regular trains that come into Patna in the morning hours, 11 special trains were arranged by the BJP to bring the crowds into Patna. 12.20 pm: News of second blast near venue, organisers tell crowds to keep calm Firstpost’s Sanjay Singh, who had to walk nearly six kilometres to the rally venue in Patna, has this update: “It is a sea of people, everybody walking towards Gandhi Maidan. This is perhaps the biggest ever rally in Patna,  and definitely the BJPs biggest such rally in this city.” All along the route, hundreds of banners and posters have been strung up or are being carried by those walking towards the venue. The mood is electric. On news of a second low intensity blast in Patna a few minutes ago, organisers at the rally venue  are repeatedly reminding the crowds not to set of ffirecrackers – these are causing confusion and nervousness.  One firecracker went off at one corner and the smoke caused several people to rush around in a frenzy. 11.50 am: Lakhs gather, speakers talk up the ‘Kamal’ Early speakers include former minister Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav and  Dr Prem Kumar who represents Gaya. The Congress-mukt Bharat theme continues from earlier BJP rallies. There is one addition this time: Live tweets from Team Modi and the speakers are also touching upon the party symbol, the ‘kamal’ or lotus. This is part of the BJP’s strategy to ensure that the Modi wave translates into votes for the party’s other, lesser known candidates too. Especially in Bihar and in states where the party has a poor presence, this will be critical. 11.45 am: Hunkar rally will counter Nitish’s Adhikar rally. Just 75 minutes from now, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will sound his ‘Hunkar’ or war cry, an announcement to the state of Bihar that the BJP is ready to go to war with former ally Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal (United). Persona non grata in Patna and elsewhere in Bihar until now thanks to former NDA ally Nitish ensuring that his hold on the state remains undiluted by any personalities with a matching power to appeal to the masses, Modi’s Hunkar rally in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan made waves weeks before the event, first with a controversy over the clashing visit of President Pranab Mukherjee (who later rescheduled his Bihar plans and returned to Delhi yesterday) and then with the sheer scale of the preparations. [caption id=“attachment_119686” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A file photograph of a Modi rally. Reuters[/caption] Eleven additional trains from across north and central India have arrived at Patna railway station this morning, lakhs are on their way to the rally venue, all of Patna now a chaotic sea of people walking to Gandhi Maidan amid NaMo chants and banners and posters everywhere. As reported by Firstpost's Sanjay Singh , Hunkar is the counter to Nitish Kumar’s Adhikar rally. “Ahead of the rally, Sushil Kumar Modi was in a very buoyant mood and was constantly monitoring the inflow of rallyists from all parts of the state: 8000 buses, 25000 small vehicles, 11 special trains, 8 regular trains, hundreds of boats to ferry across the Ganga and so on. The task is gigantic but the party leaders and workers have a visible cheerfulness and there is a feel of organising a family wedding with the objective of upstaging a jealous neighbour,” the report said.