Blast ahead of Modi's Gaya rally

Hours before BJP prime-ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed two meetings in central Bihar on Thursday, suspected Maoists blew up two mobile towers of a private telecom company in Gaya. The Maoists called for a bandh on Thursday after their colleagues were killed at the hands of paramilitary forces in the Magadh region of the state.

Braving the threat, thousands of people gathered at Sasaram and Gaya to listen to Modi, who asked the gathering to give him 60 months to stem the rot in the country.
“You have given 60 years to the Congress, now give me 60 months to serve. I will bring a cataclysmic change,” said Modi, as the crowd jostled with each other to have a closer look at him.

In the melee, the police made minimal use of lathis to control the rampaging crowd. Meanwhile, the BJP suffered another blow when former minister and senior party leader Chandramohan Rai resigned from all party posts. “We all created a NaMo wave in Bihar. But of late, a section within the party is hell-bent on pouring cold water on our efforts,” said Rai.