File photo of Narendra Modi
The Allahabad High Court has agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Dalit farmers to shift the venue of
Narendra Modi's rally in Kanpur on Saturday. The court will hear the PIL today.
The farmers have said in their petition that their agricultural land has been encroached for rally and this will destroy their crop. The farmers also say that their consent was not sought by the district administration before giving a clearance for the rally.
The district administration has taken nearly three acres of land owned by 167 farmers for the rally.
The BJP in Uttar Pradesh is in top gear to ensure Mr Modi's rally in Indira Nagar area is a grand success; the Gujarat Chief Minister will deliver his first speech in the state after being picked as his party's prime ministerial candidate.
Mr Modi is scheduled to land at the venue of the rally at around 1 pm after a brief stopover at Lucknow's Amausi airport. While Mr Modi will appear here flanked by party president Rajnath Singh, two other smaller stages will host state leaders. (
Tight security in Kanpur ahead of Modi's rally)
Special teams of party workers have been commissioned to source students in Kanpur for Mr Modi's audience. They've been doing the rounds of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and other local colleges to invite young people to the event.
The party's minority wing is also working hard to ensure that Muslims attend Mr Modi's speech. The BJP's choice for prime minister is derided by detractors as a divisive leader who failed to stop hundreds of Muslims from being killed during communal riots in 2002 in Gujarat during his first term as chief minister.