The weather seemed to have sucked life out of an RJD dharna on Wednesday as very few people turned up for the demonstration organised in protest against the alleged murder of businessman Saket Gupta.
As the temperature touched 40 degrees in Patna, political parties organising protest marches and dharnas are literally feeling the heat. The RJD was the worst sufferer on Wednesday as only 60 people turned up to take part in the dharna at Kargil Chowk.
The protest, which was slated to start at 1pm, kicked off two hours prior to the scheduled time and also ended early because of the unbearable heat. The RJD members, who had reached the venue to participate in the dharna, were seen reaching out for glasses of water before mingling with other supporters.
On normal days, whenever there are such demonstrations at the Kargil Chowk, even a passerby tries to catch a glimpse and steal a moment to listen to the speeches of political leaders.
However, the scenario was contrary on Wednesday, as even commuters did not pay any heed to the leaders “out for a cause”.
RJD state unit president Ram Chandra Purbey admitted that if the weather had been pleasant, the number of participants would have been more.
“Many have not come here because of the heat but it does not mean that our commitment towards the cause has subsided. It doesn’t matter whether it’s hot or cold. We’ll continue with whatever number of people we have to carry the mission ahead,” said Purbey.
On the other hand, those who were present at the dharna, had to make do with three table, four ceiling fans and 30 cartons of packaged drinking water. One person was deputed to serve water.
“Realising the heat, we made proper arrangements and mineral water has been stocked so that the members and supporters do not complain about unavailability of water in such extreme conditions,” said Randhir Yadav, the RJD spokesperson.
The party general secretary, Ejaz Ahmad, too, believed that the scorching heat had an adverse impact on the dharna.
“It is true that the extreme heat has had an impact on Wednesday’s dharna but our supporters don’t care about the heat. They have taken part in the dharna with an open heart. Unless we face the weather, how will we fight against the present government, which has adopted a dictatorial regime in the state?” Ahmad said.
The dharna, however, got over at 3.30pm instead of 6pm.