New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- As the sun climbed overhead on Friday afternoon, people, young and old, walked toward the Dudhpoora Helipad Grounds in Bihar's Samastipur, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally to launch the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) campaign for the upcoming assembly elections.

About three kilometres before the venue, police had set up barricades to stop any vehicles from proceeding toward the rally site. To the left of the barricade is the road leading to Karpoori Gram - the ancestral village of former two-time chief minister and socialist icon Karpoori Thakur.

"Hum Tajpur se Modiji ko sunne aaye hain, peeche apna bike park kie hain (I have come to from Tajpur to listen to Modiji. I parked my bike at the...