BANGALORE, November 17: A large crowd of people gathered at the Banappa Park to participate in a counter rally to protest against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. A short protest meet was followed by a march from Banappa Park to Town Hall here, where they were joined by some more groups including a women’s contingent from the state Congress party.
According to police estimates, the protest rally, organised by the Komu Souhrada Vedike (Forum for communal harmony) had over 500 participants. The rally culminated with the burning of an effigy of Mr . Modi, an act the protesters said was a symbol of their rejection of his brand of “communal and divisive politics”.
The protest rally is significant because it is the first fully organised protest against the PM candidate, said writer Gauri Lankesh. In the run up to Sunday’s rally, protest meets and marches were organised in a total of 15 districts of the State on Friday and Saturday.
“As we approach the election, like minded groups should hold events like this across the country. This is the only way to counter the mania around him,” she said. Former Backward Classes Chairman C. S. Dwarakanath said that his culpability in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom made him ineligible to lead a secular nation like India.
