Unity Run turns into BJP rally for 8,000 participants

Bangalore: 8,000 people took part in the Run of Unity in Bangalore on Sunday morning, with people turning up in good faith, expecting a rally marking the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. This was, in reality, a pro-BJP campaign, with a large number of participants wearing stoles that bore the BJP emblem and chanting the name "Narendra Modi."

The run, which began and ended at Freedom Park, could have been better organised, felt participants. Others felt that this was more of a political rally, what with having to chant Modi's name! Roopa Shree, a participant and a software engineer, said, “We were slightly disappointed with the run as it was not organised very well. More than a Unity Run, it was a political rally with many runners chanting Modi’s name. I completed the run for the sake of it, as a mark of respect to Sardar Patel Saheb.”

The organisers, however, were a satisfied lot. "We got a feel of how much Bangalore respects the Iron Man of India, " said Ganesh K, from the organising team, referring to Sardar Patel, whose death anniversary was marked by the run. "The turnout was amazing. We expected about 3000 people from the online registrations, but Sunday morning saw a huge turnout.