The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday increased pressure on the Opposition Congress over the issue of a lapse in the cavalcade of prime minister Narendra Modi.
In addition, PM Modi called on President Ramnath Kovind to give him a firsthand account of the incident, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
“President Ram Nath Kovind met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today and received from him a first-hand account of the security breach in his convoy in Punjab yesterday. The President expressed his concerns about the serious lapse,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan's handle tweeted.
Several ministers of Modi’s Cabinet raised the issue in a meeting of cabinet ministers, and expressed “concerns'', said sources. Many of the ministers asked for “exemplary action”.
“This is an unprecedented incident, and there should be accountability and exemplary action,” said a minister on condition of anonymity.
While announcing Cabinet decisions, union minister Anurag Thakur told reporters that the home ministry will take tough decisions.
“The Home Ministry will take action. After we have enough information, whatever big and tough decisions have to be taken, we will do it. Whenever there is a breach like this, then whatever steps have to be taken will be taken. There are some people who have approached the Supreme Court, too,” Thakur too.
BJP leaders and workers across the country chanted the mahamrityunjaya mantra at various places to pray for the long life of prime minister Narendra Modi, a day after the party alleged an attempt to the PM’s life in poll-bound Congress-ruled Punjab.
Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan chanted prayers at the Gufa Mandir in Bhopal. Reports said that 108 priests will recite the mantra over the next three days.
Prayers were conducted at two other temples in the state — Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and Khandwa's Omkareshwar temple — both centres of worship of Shiva.
The mahamrityunjaya mantra is a verse from the Rig Veda, a canonical treatise of the Hindus, and the mantra is chanted to pray for longevity.
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In Delhi, too, several leaders conducted prayers. BJP General Secretaries Arun Singh and Dushyant Gautam led prayers at Preeti Vihar’s Durga temple and Connaught Palace’s Hanuman Mandir, respectively. Vice-president Baijayant Panda led prayers at the Jhandewalan Temple.
Tripura CM Biplob Deb also conducted prayers at Agartala’s Meher Kalibari temple, and BJP legislator Rekha Verma prayed at her constituency Dhauraha’s Shiv temple. External affairs minister S Jaishankar, too, tweeted the mantra in support. Special prayers will also be conducted at Varanasi’s Kaal Bhairav Mandir.
On Wednesday, PM Modi’s cavalcade was stuck for 15-20 mins atop a flyover in Bathinda as protestors blocked roads. The BJP has alleged that this lapse of security was an attempt to his life aided by the state’s Congress government.
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