“BharatStandsWithModiji” versus “PunjabModiVirodhi" campaigns have set the social media on fire. These campaigns have created a political heat in icy cold Himalayan states of Uttarakhand and Himachal soon after the Election Commission of India announced election dates for five states from February 10 to March 3.

Supreme court of India on Monday has ordered to constitute a panel headed by the  retired Justice of the supreme court to probe the matter and asked the state to secure the travel record of the Prime Minister. The Apex court also directed the Centre and the state government of Punjab to stop the inquiries ordered by them in connection with the security lapse of Prime Minister during his visit to Punjab on January 5.   

But Chief Minister Jairam Thakur along with state BJP Chief Suresh Kashyap joined a nationwide virulent ‘BharatStandsWithModiji’ and anti-Congress campaign on social media to pin down Congress in the five states of UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa which are going to polls from February 10 to March 3 in seven phases.  

Jai Ram Thakur and Kashyap along with other leaders met   Governor Rajinder Vishwanath Arlekar at Rajbhawan and submitted memorandum seeking a high-level probe into the serious security lapse in Prime Minister’s security on January 5 while he was on his way to start Rs 42,750 crore projects and paying tributes to Shahid Bhagat Singh and other martyrs in Ferozepur that day.

Thakur charged that it was a major security lapse and it should be probed by a high-level committee and a stern action should be taken against the guilty  in this connection.  “It is nothing less than a major conspiracy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not only the most popular leader in India, but all over the world”, he said.

Regardless of the political tenor of campaigns, the netizens have posed some valid questions in connection with the security lapse in Prime Minister’s Punjab visit,  seeking the right answers for strengthening the democracy in India.

Why the “protestors” chose or were asked to choose, a flyover to stop Prime Minister’s convoy? Was it a coincidence or it was chosen knowingly because ‘no one can make any side exit’ in case of a mishap? Why no protocol was followed by the state functionary while receiving the Prime Minister at Bhatinda airport?, the netizens ask.    

And why CM did not respond to an SOS from PM from Bhatinda airport even after 20 minutes after PM’s helicopter could not take off from there to Ferozepur due to bad weather? Why no alternate route was chosen as per security protocol? Why PM’s convoy was not given an open corridor that too at a place which is just 30 km from Indo-Pakistan border, they ask.   

These questions are doing rounds not only on social media but also among experts and analysts in India to seek quick and the right answers.  

These questions seek answers as India had lost three Prime Ministers due to the security lapse in the past and terrorism still remains a problem. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death on January 11, 1966, a day after he signed an agreement with Pakistan in Tashkent after 1965 Indo-Pak War, still remained disputed. His family members did not accept the cardiac arrest as the cause of his death.  

Then came Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated on October 31, 1984 by her two security guards in the aftermath the Operation Blue star, the citizens cited. Lastly, Rajeev Gandhi was assassinated by Dhanu, a suicide human bomb that also killed 14 others in Seripurumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 in the aftermath of India’s peacekeeping force in Srilanka, which was in civil war due to Tamil tigers raising a banner of revolt there that time.        

The netizens pin their hopes on panel  would find answers to the questions raised by them on  the issue of security breach in Prime Minister's Punjab visit.

The netizens are viral on social media asserting that there should be “no politics on the issue of PM security lapse in this time of elections in Punjab. The simple straight premise is that “Prime Minister is country’s highest democratic and executive institution that belongs to People of India, not to any single political entity or an individual in power”, they say.

The safety and security of Prime Minister is “non-negotiable and any compromise on security of institution of Prime Minister of India is totally “unacceptable” and the guilty must be brought to justice in this case so that no such repeat is done in future”, they demand.   

Incidentally, these campaigns on social media has come on a virtual platform as “an election campaign” at a time when the Election Commission of India has banned all rallies, nuked sabhas and public meetings till January 15 in view of a surge in corona cases in the country.   

“BharatWithModiji” campaign  is cited with “Congress-Hi-Kalank” campaign and it has come hot on the heels of similar Congress anti-Modi campaign, “ModiFarmersVirodhi” on social media.

The netizens are tearing apart Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for his remarks against Prime Minister and his casual attitude towards PM’s security. His remarks have given a political twist to genuine and valid points raised by the netizens in connection with security issue of Prime Minister in Punjab.

BJP chief Jagat Prakash Nadda has charged that Congress tried its level best and sabotaged Prime Minister’s Punjab visit  by all means and ignored the security protocol. Congress action bode ill for democracy in India, he charged.  

Besides this, as many as 49 former IPS officers from UP  including 27 IPS officers from Punjab have also shot off the letters to  President of India seeking  a probe into the grave security risk in Prime Minister’s visit to Ferozepur in Punjab on January 5.

The 27 former IPS officers in Punjab are of  the view that it is one of the gravest security lapses in the history of the nation committed through conspiracy and collusion, the letter said. They cited the video clips, photographs and tweets that went viral in the social media to ventilate their concern that “show intention and irresponsible behaviour of the state government, which is quite worrisome and alarming for the Indian democracy”.

They stated the media reports clearly show that it is not only a casual approach displayed by the state government, but there appears to be a “clear involvement of the state functionary which has resulted in this horrifying incident of security breach”.  

The state was well aware of the alternate routes, which were planned in security coordination for the Prime Minister’s journey, they stated. They urge President to take immediate action on this matter having serious bearing on the national security and state’s responsibility of maintaining law and order in a border state going for election, said the letter signed by 27 officers and PC Dogra, former DGP Punjab.   

On the other hand, Congress anti-Modi campaign on social media came soon after Prime Minister took a U-Turn after his cavalcade got stuck for 20 minutes at Hussainewala flyover due to the protestors and vehicles appearing on the flyover.

But the moot point is this: The probe should not get lost in the pollical din kicked off by the state assembly elections in five states to score political oneupmanship, caution analysts. The facts should come out as they stand because this issue is  crucial to protect democracy in India, they assert.