Amit Shah stuck in a lift for 20 minutes in Patna State Guest House

Patna: After being stuck in an elevator for almost 20 minutes in the Patna State Guest House, BJP national president Amit Shah was rescued by security personnel. The incident occurred when Amit Shah, along with other BJP leaders, was leaving the guest house to attend a meeting on Thursday.

The incident has triggered a political blame game between BJP and the ruling JD(U). While the BJP sees sabotage and wants a high-level probe into the matter, the JD(U) is trying to shrug it off terming it as a mere “technical fault, which was addressed quickly”.

According to BJP workers, Mr Shah was rescued by CRPF personnel, who ripped open the elevator doors after all efforts to reach out for technical help failed.

“We tried to even call the toll free number mentioned inside the elevator, but nobody answered our call,” said the BJP worker.

Later, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, holding Amit Shah responsible for the incident, mocked at him and said, “He should be careful. He carries a lot of weight that even the lifts get stuck. Bihar lifts are not designed to carry people with so much of weight.”  

Mr Yadav’s comments against Mr Shah instigated a sharp reaction within the BJP.

Launching a blistering attack against Mr  Yadav for his statement, BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said, “Such comments show the arrogance of the leader. Instead of rectifying the error, such comments were made, which have no place in democracy. Our culture believes in ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ but Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar does not believe in Indian culture.”.

Holding state government responsible for the incident, BJP state president Mangal Pandey said, “There was no one to deal with emergencies despite the fact that he has Z plus security cover.”