Phew! The nation is safe, so is the Prime Minister.

Here are some telltale —and reassuring — signs:

⚫ Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the President on Thursday to give a “first-hand account” of the “breach of security” in Punjab a day earlier. Social media was awash with images from the session.

⚫ BJP leaders in several states claimed that Modi had been saved by “God’s grace” and flocked to temples to chant a “powerful Shiva mantra” that is believed to bestow long life.

⚫ Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan led the Mahamrityunjay mantra chant in Bhopal’s Gufa temple.

⚫ Tripura chief minister and young BJP leader Biplab Kumar Deb prayed at a Kali temple in Agartala.

⚫ Social media was bombarded with hashtags such as “LongLivePMModi” and “ModiJiJiyoHazaroSaal”.

As the BJP launched a campaign to milk sympathy from the incident that forced Modi to leave without addressing a rally in Ferozepur, one little detail was glossed over by the courtiers.

The farmers who blocked the Ferozepur road on Wednesday said Punjab police had asked them to lift the protest as the Prime Minister would be passing but they assumed they were being tricked because they had already announced they would block Modi. The Prime Minister was initially supposed to fly to the rally venue in a helicopter.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the Bhopal prayer for Modi’s long life. PTI picture

Surjit Singh Phool, the chief of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) that led Wednesday’s blockade, was quoted by the ANI news agency: “The Ferozepur SSP (senior superintendent of police) asked us to vacate the road, saying that the Prime Minister was going to the rally venue by road. We thought he was bluffing to clear the road for BJP buses heading for the rally. There were helipads ready and the Prime Minister was scheduled to fly. We had no idea he was taking the road.”

The Union home ministry has formed a committee to probe the “security lapse” that left Modi and his cavalcade stuck on a flyover for around 20 minutes. The panel will be headed by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, secretary (security), cabinet secretariat.

Balbir Singh, joint director of the Intelligence Bureau, and S. Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group, will be the other members. The Congress-run Punjab government, too, has formed a probe panel.

Modi, who called on President Ram Nath Kovind, tweeted along with pictures of the meeting: “Called on Rashtrapati Ji. Thankful to him for his concern. Grateful for his good wishes, which are always a source of strength.”

The President’s office tweeted: “The President expressed his concerns about the serious lapse.”

The BJP suggested that Modi had foiled a conspiracy of “Pakistan and Khalistani supporters”. A similar tactic was used earlier in a futile attempt to discredit the farmers’ movement against the now-repealed farm laws.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Chouhan stood out in the race among BJP leaders to hold special prayers for Modi’s long life.

Chouhan had tweeted in advance that he would lead the Mahamrityunjay mantra chant in the temple. He later posted multiple pictures of the ceremony.

“PM Modi is the crown jewel of India,” Chouhan said, equating the “khilwad (flirtation)” with “Modi’s life” with a “khilwad with the country’s security”. He said that it was by “God’s grace” that Modi had returned safe from Punjab.

On Wednesday night, the BJP had posted a video on social media on the Punjab incident, titled “understand the chronology of the attack on PM Modi” — a phrase Amit Shah had made infamous by referencing the Centre’s citizenship forays.

In the video, questions were raised on who was behind the attack on Modi. “Was it the plan of Pakistan? Was it the plan of Khalistanis? Was the Congress extending support to the plan?” the video asked.

The video accused the Congress-led Punjab government of first giving clearance to Modi’s road route and then allowing protesters to block the road.

“What would have happened had the PM proceeded on the route?” the video asked, before offering an answer: “A riot? An attack? Violence and bloodshed? An attempt to kill the PM?”

The video also played a TV news clip and asserted that Modi had returned to tell the truth: “Apne CM ko thanks kehna, ki main Bhatinda airport tak zinda laut paaya.”

The video text concluded that Modi had “foiled the conspiracy of Pakistan, Khalistani supporters and the Congress”.