Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani’s Janchetna Yatra against corruption was launched on the “auspicious” day of Sharad Purnima on October 11. But his rath (modified bus) seems to be jinxed. On Tuesday, it faced technical problems and two senior leaders fell sick. On Wednesday, a new rath was used but even it got stuck under a bridge to Ara and got slightly damaged. It also hit a tree later.
The BJP on Tuesday said due to some technical problems, exhaust fumes started entering the closed enclosure of the rath where both Leaders of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were sitting too.
“It was an accidental technical flaw. Some of our leaders started feeling nauseated but they are alright now,” said party’s chief spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad.
On Wednesday, a new rath was used while another rath was put on stand by. Decked with garlands and the BJP’s flag, the rath resumed its journey towards Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. But even before it could reach Ara, the rath got stuck under the Koilwar bridge over the Sone river. A portion of it got damaged when its roof crashed into the bridge. The rear windscreen got damaged and the front windscreen got scratched.
The yatra was held up for around half-an-hour. Tyres had to be deflated to reduce the height by few inches and then it was moved out from under the bridge. The rath also hit a tree when it was approaching a venue for public meeting in Ara, the district headquarters of Bhojpur. After the accident, mechanics were called in for repairs.