Modi's rally site had to be guarded against snakes: Parrikar

The highly guarded rally of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Goa last month had to be protected from the most unexpected threat - snakes.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who hosted the rally, today said that wildlife experts were on guard at that time to ensure that snakes did not run into the crowd during the meeting.

The January 12 rally held at Merces village near Panaji was attended by over a lakh people.

"At least two snakes appeared from a burrow during the meeting. We had wildlife experts who caught them right on time and took them away," Parrikar said, while addressing a function organised by the state forest department here.

During the finalisation of venue for the rally, it was known that the area was snake-prone because of the presence of vultures seen hovering in the sky, he said.

Modi's rally in Goa was a part of his 100 public meetings planned in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.