Narendra Modi had just landed in Patna when the news of the first blast at the railway station came in.
The BJP has said it took a "conscious decision" not to call off the Narendra Modi 'Hunkar rally' in Patna despite a series of blasts at the venue just before the Gujarat Chief Minister was to begin speaking on Sunday.
"Imagine what would have happened if we called it off and then the crowds came to know about the bombs. Our leaders handled the situation very well," said Sushil Kumar Modi of the Bihar BJP. Six people were killed and more than 80 injured in the crude bomb explosions.
(Patna blasts: two arrested, police suspects Indian Mujahideen)Narendra Modi, who is the BJP's prime ministerial candidate for 2014, had just landed in Patna when the news of the first blast at the railway station came in. Sources said the Gujarat police rushed to him at the airport tarmac and advised him not to go ahead to the Gandhi Maidan venue of the rally.
Other BJP leaders joined them and as confabulations were on at the airport, sources said, news of a second blast, this time at the Gandhi Maidan came in. BJP president Rajnath Singh, who was in his hotel close to the park and could actually see the site of the blast, was holding his own consultations with other party colleagues.
As more blasts were reported, the Mr Modi and the other BJP leaders decided they would go ahead with the rally, said sources, because they did not want to shift focus to the blasts. They also reportedly decided that Mr Modi should not be seen as cancelling his date with Patna.
Quickly, said sources, a blueprint was drawn up by Mr Modi's securitymen for not just the drive from the airport to the Gandhi Maidan, but also an evacuation plan for politicians on stage in case of an attack. One chief concern was the fact that there were no barricades at the ground, metal detectors were not being used and people streaming in were not even being frisked. (
Patna blasts: security lapses appear basic, and plenty)Mr Modi and Rajnath Singh asked Bihar BJP leaders to ensure there was no panic at the venue and decided not to mention the blasts in speeches. On cue, Mr Modi's long address had no mention of the serial blasts. Only at the end of the speech did he ask people to be calm and reach home safely.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Mr Modi's political rival who ended a 17-year alliance with the BJP in June over its decision to give Mr Modi top billing in its election campaign, has denied gaps in security arrangements and said there were no intelligence alerts that warned of a possible attack on Sunday.
(No intel warning, no security lapses: Nitish on Patna blasts)Sushil Modi said this demonstrates "how irresponsible Nitish Kumar is."