Where I was sitting in the stadium, right next to the stage, cameras were set up and journalists from India were broadcasting live on their respective channels. The reporter of a channel was talking loudly that the hall was full and the atmosphere was electrifying. The atmosphere was electrifying. Sometimes slogans of ‘Modi-Modi’ were raised from here and sometimes from there. Bharat Mata ki Jai was less listenable. The people standing around the corridor through which Narendra Modi had to reach the stage were many of the same people who were sending hate messages on WhatsApp groups in Australia.
On one side was a small group of people from the Bohra community, dressed in their traditional attire. However, when I wanted to interview them before going in, no one was ready to talk. I was also interested in how many Sikhs were present in the hall, because two or three days before the program the names of the ‘Welcoming Committee’ were made public by the IADF, which included many Sikhs. But only a few Sikhs were visible in the hall.
Yes, outside the stadium a group of Sikhs were protesting in support of Khalistan and raising slogans against Modi. While they were raising slogans, a group of Modi supporters from inside the stadium approached the gate and started raising slogans against them. But in no time they entered. The pro-Khalistan demonstration was covered by almost all major media channels.