THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On its final day, the Jana Raksha Yatra helmed by BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan against ‘jihadi and red terror’ saw participation of thousands of BJP workers who turned MG Road in the state capital into a veritable river of saffron. The rally, flagged off from Payyanur on October 3, ended in Thiruvananthapuram with a public meeting at Putharikandam Maidan attended by party national president Amit Shah. Shah had joined the rally at the University College Junction during its final lap from Palayam to Putharikandam.
BJP turned the last day of the rally into a show of strength, fielding thousands of flag-toting, slogan-shouting party workers to end the procession with a bang. Top BJP leaders began the day by visiting the homes of ‘BJP-RSS martyrs.’ Later, Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan inaugurated the rally at Sreekaryam. Post noon break, the rally resumed from Pattom. By 4 pm, it reached Palayam. The rally, which featured tableaus on ‘love jihad’ and political violence victimising RSS-BJP workers, had a brief stopover at the nearby University College Junction where the BDJS joined forces with it.
Soon, Amit Shah arrived in an open jeep. By then, MG Road was closed to traffic with the workers invading both lanes. Small contingents of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were also part of the rally on its final day. Union Minister Alphons Kannanthanam, MPs Suresh Gopi and Richard Hey, O Rajagopal MLA and other top BJP leaders were among the participants.