Bhubaneswar, April 15: When the Prime Minister hits the road next time, television channels covering him live may have to carry a statutory warning: "The following stunt is being performed by a trained professional. Don't try this at home or outside."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today won the hearts of the people that braved a 38-degree Celsius temperature and crowded the pavements by riding on the foot board of a Range Rover for over 4km in two stretches in Bhubaneswar.
Modi, who is here to attend the BJP national executive meeting, had strapped on the seatbelt after stepping out of the airport and getting into the vehicle.
He unclasped the seatbelt soon after the SUV travelled around half a kilometre, opened the door and started waving at the spectators who lined the road chanting "Modi, Modi, Modi".
Then the Prime Minister stood on the foot-board and rode in such a manner for the next one and a half kilometres. The 30-vehicle motorcade had slowed down considerably and Special Protection Group (SPG) commandoes ran alongside the Range Rover.
"The Prime Minister was practically hanging from the door of the Range Rover with a security official standing beside him and holding the door open for him," said Jayant Mishra, a businessman who watched the cavalcade on its way to the Governor House.
In the vehicle that followed the Prime Minister's SUV, SPG inspector-general of police Y.K. Jethwa stood on the footboard, keeping a close watch on the procession.
After a 15-minute break at the Raj Bhavan, Modi set out to Janata Maidan, covering almost the entire distance of 4km standing on the foot-board and waving.
"I was so happy to see the Prime Minister from such a close range," said Sujit Sahoo, a college student. "He is really the people's PM," gushed Rani Patra, a homemaker.
BJP national secretary Suresh Pujari added: "Modi magic was on full display today."
But those who watched should not get carried away.
In some cities like Calcutta, the removal of the seat-belt alone in a moving vehicle would have fetched a fine. (In Bhubaneswar, seatbelt is mandatory for only drivers, not the passenger seated in front left seat.)
A transport officer of the Odisha government, who did not wish to be named, described the Prime Minister's footboard ride as "dangerous".
The officer adding that even though Modi's vehicle was part of a ceremonial procession with vehicles moving at a slow pace, it would have been appropriate on his part to avoid such a ride in his own interest.
A Delhi-based road specialist said the Prime Minister's position on the foot-board of his moving vehicle was not a safe standing position for anyone, but speculated that the Prime Minister's security staff must have taken precautions to bolster his safety on his vehicle during the road show.
"This is absolutely not a safe position to stand," said Kiran Kapila, president of the International Road Federation. "But I'm sure his security staff would have used some kind of a belt or harness and asked him to hold a fixed rod in the vehicle while moving," he said.
No harness was visible to the uninitiated but such safeguards need not be always evident from a distance.
Another aspect was security. VVIPs are most vulnerable when they are exposed in slow-moving vehicles. But Bhubaneswar DCP Satyabrat Bhoi said snipers were deployed at a few strategic locations.
