New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stranded on a flyover in Punjab for 15-20 minutes on Wednesday after farm protestors stopped his cavalcade’s progress on his way to the National Martyrs Memorial at the Hussainiwala border crossing with Pakistan.
The PM decided to take a road journey to Hussainiwala. It was not part of his original schedule to travel by road.
The delay is not for the first time, in 2017 December, the PM’s convoy was stuck in traffic in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Buddh Nagar when he was on his way to inaugurate a metro line. Two policemen were suspended after this. But they did not say that the PM’s life was in danger.
Prime Minister stated it was threat to his life in Punjab. Visuals from Bathinda showed the Prime Minister’s convoy on the flyover, surrounded by Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel.
Here are some noteworthy examples of prior ministers who maintained calm when hassled by protesters
The year was 1967, Indira Gandhi had gone to Orissa for a rally. Orissa used to be a stronghold of the Swatantra Party. As soon as Indira Gandhi started speaking in an election meeting, the crowd present there started pelting stones. The local Congressmen asked her to stop the speech immediately, but Indira Gandhi did not listen to anyone and continued to speak. She faced the irate crowd and said, “Will you build the country like this? Will you vote for such people?” Then suddenly a stone came and hit her nose. Her nose started bleeding. Indira Gandhi wiped the blood flowing from her nose. Covered her nose with a handkerchief and continued giving her speech. After the incident, she left for Kolkata for the next public meeting. In Kolkata, she gave a speech with a bandage on her nose. Later it was found that her nose bone was broken. The nose had to be plastered. She also had nose surgery. For several days, Indira Gandhi campaigned across the country with plaster on her face. Now that was commendable leadership.
In 2009, a computer engineering student hurled a sneaker towards the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from where he was addressing his first poll rally in Gujarat. Manmohan did not make a fuss about the situation and kept dignity and clam.
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