BANGALORE: The preparations that are going on for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s three-hour visit to Bangalore on November 17 is no less than that which happens for a big fat Indian wedding.
The 36 committees constituted to go into various logistics for putting up the mega show at Bangalore Palace grounds will be meeting on November 13 to take stock of the ongoing preparations. The exercise is similar to the one that is taken up for an election campaign. The objective is to deliver Modi ‘village-to-village’ and ‘door-to-door’; not just at Bangalore Palace grounds,” party MP Ayanur Manjunath told The Sunday Times.
Modi’s public meeting will be held from 11am to 2pm. According to party’s spokesman and MLA, S Suresh Kumar, the BJP is expecting six to seven lakh people for the event. The party has earmarked three entry points for those coming from districts by road — Hebbal will be the entrance for those from north Karnataka districts, Bidadi for Mysore region and Tumkur for coastal districts.
BJP state president Prahlad Joshi has requisitioned 15 special trains from the South Western railway. Sources in the railway office said a final decision on the request will be taken this week.
Each train will be rented out for Rs 10-13 lakh per schedule and will have roughly 26 coaches. As each compartment accommodates 108 passengers, an additional 42 passengers will be added.
Manjunath, who is overseeing Shimoga district said two trains will be leaving from there. Workers have to pay a train fare of Rs 150 and another Rs 10 for attending the rally, he added.
The party has asked for 3,500 KSRTC buses from the two corporations outside Bangalore and 2,000 from BMTC. A bike rally to be led by MP H N Ananth Kumar will be at the Bengaluru International Airport to welcome Modi.
Nearly 25,000 cooks will be manning the 14 kitchens that will be set up at Tripura Vahini venue inside the Bangalore Palace. The menu has been kept to the basics such as Uppama, Bisibele Bath, Tomato Bath and Chitranna. We are preparing items that are not messy to eat as the same has to be loaded on to the trains that will be going back in the evening. Most of the provision is coming from donors,” BJP MLA Jagadish Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the ruling Congress has planned two public rallies prior and after Modi’s event. On November 14, party MLA representing Yeshwanthpur assembly constituency S T Somashekar has organized a meeting to celebrate cooperative movement week to be held near NICE road. And on Novermber 19, the party is holding another at the Freedom Park where it plans to counter Modi’s speech.
The Congress state leadership has reportedly told its legislators to crowd out” Modi by taking up hoarding space legally permitted to put up party leaders photographs. Chief minister Siddaramaiah during his visit to Mangalore some time back saw posters of Modi in small places. He felt the Congress should also be aggressive in its campaigns,” a senior leader said.
