The prime minister rode on the footboard of his Range Rover for over four kilometres in Bhubaneswar as he proceeded towards a meeting of his party.
As ever, The Telegraph, has the questions other newspapers will dare not ask:
“In some cities such as Calcutta, the removal of the seatbelt alone in a moving vehicle would have fetched a fine. (In Bhubaneswar, seatbelt is mandatory only for drivers, not the passenger seated in the front left seat.)
“Standing on the footboard or sticking one’s neck out of a moving vehicle is not specifically listed as a traffic violation, a police officer said in Calcutta. However, in order to discourage stunts and avert distractions for other motorists, police sometimes take action against the drivers.
“‘It is not mandatory, but a driver could be prosecuted if one of the passengers of the vehicle chooses to stand on the footboard of the vehicle or sticks his neck out in a dangerous way,’ the officer said.
“A transport official in the Odisha government described the Prime Minister’s footboard ride as “dangerous”.
“A Delhi-based road specialist said the Prime Minister’s position on the footboard of his moving vehicle was not a safe standing position for anyone.”
Then again, when the bhakts believe the 67-year-old pradhan sevak can walk on water, what is a little footboard photo-op?
Read the full story: PM may hang out, you must not
This is a good observation. Some one in PM’s office should write to the police in Bhubaneswar and pay a fine for traffic violation for not wearing seat belt. This would a great opportunity to show in action how rule of law is applicable even for the third highest office in India. Is this likely to happen? Worse is to find fault with Churumuri for commenting on the PM’s breaking the law. It seems Congress party does not like any of their members criticizing their leaders. Will BJP follow Congress or allows their members to be critical of their leaders? Let us hope that if the PM’s office does not pay, some patriotic BJP member should come forward to pay the fine.
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Sounds a bit like the stunts employed by Rajiv Gandhi at the peak of his popularity, The feeling of being idolized is irresistible and unless one has a sense of proportion, it is easy to get carried away and maybe start believing that you can walk on water! Benazir Bhutto came to grief, trying something similar. But fear not. This man is invincible, so no harm will come to him!
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This is a typical Rahulgandhi type question . As disrespectful of the pm as that.
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