Modi to address rally in Doon on Sunday

Top police officials claim that the gathering may not cross one lakh figure

BJP may be expecting over 2 lakh people to gather at Parade Ground here for the December 15 “shankhnad’ rally of the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

But top police officials here claimed that the gathering may not cross one lakh figure. The reason behind this estimate is very simple – the ground does not have the capacity to accommodate more.

Though, the BJP is claiming that the last biggest rally at Parade Ground was addressed by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, police sources said the 1990 rally of VHP firebrand leader Sadhvi Ritambra was even bigger which had witnessed a gathering of over 90,000 people during the Ram temple movement.

“We are estimating around one lakh people for the Dec 15 rally,” said Inspector General R S Meena. However, state BJP President Tirath Singh Rawat claimed that over 2 lakh people are expected to come for the rally here.

Elaborate security arrangements are being made to thwart any possibility of terrorist strikes, he said. Intelligence sources said there is no specific threat perception this time.

The government has given the Parade Ground for the purpose of the Modi rally free of cost. “There will be no ticket for the rally,” said Rawat.

Meanwhile, state Congress spokesperson Shilp Arora on Friday alleged Modi was in hands in glove with Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai and also asked him to publicly give a clarification in the snoopgate.