KOLKATA: After tent collapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at Collegiate Grounds in Midnapore in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal on July 16 that left 90 people injured, ruling Trinamool Congress on Wednesday sought divine intervention to prevent a repeat of the incident and performed a 'khunti puja' of the bamboos that will form the base of the dais for the rally at the same grounds on July 28 where senior TMC leaders are expected to be present.
The rally is being held as a show of strength against BJP after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, from the stage of 'July 21 martyr's day' rally in Kolkata, mocked the saffron party for the tent collapse in front of 12 lakh TMC workers and directed Yuva Morcha president and party apparent heir Abhishek Banerjee and senior leaders Firhad Hakim, Partha Chatterjee, Subrata Bakshi, Suvendu Adhikari and Kalyan Banerjee to be present at the rally.
"They can't save a tent and they claim to protect the people of India? We will hold a rally at the same place where this incident happened," she had said. The importance of the rally has quadrupled after her comments making it an emotive issue for the TMC thus necessitating full-proof structural security at the event.
"We are taking more precautions for the rally. The pujas have been done for the dais and Public Works Department officials would be asked to inspect the structures where public would be seated," Paschim Medinipur district TMC president Ajit Maiti said.
However, it is yet to be decided whether tent would be constructed at the public's sitting arena. Due to the presence of heavyweight ministers at the meeting, an Advanced Security Liaison meeting has also been held in Midnapore town. PWD officials have also inspected the ground.
TMC Paschim Medinipur district president Ajit Maiti held a meeting with party leaders from across the district and has told them to bring at least 100 persons from every booth of the district. "BJP brings people from Jharkhand in its rallies we will show TMC's strength in Bengal's hinterlands," Maiti added.