The Hindu : High drama at airport

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 01, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

High drama at airport

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 31. It was a political stratagem which proved futile in the end. It had all the trappings of an intrigue. A high drama was witnessed at the Hyderabad airport on Wednesday with the engines of a specially-stationed aircraft revved up and kept ready for take-off to Bellary. All this to carry film actress, Vijayashanti, to file her nomination papers from there in the event of the Congress fielding Priyanka.

Following information that Priyanka might be filing her nomination papers from Bellary, the BJP president, M.Venkaiah Naidu, accompanied by "Lady Amitabh of Tollywood", rushed to the airport in the afternoon and waited in the "VIP lounge" as frenetic telephonic contacts took place between him, Arun Jaitley at Delhi and the Karnataka BJP president, Anant Kumar, who was at Bangalore.

After spending an hour at the airport and getting confirmation from the DGCA and defence authorities that no other special aircraft had landed at Bellary, the BJP leaders called off the idea.

Earlier in the morning, Mr.Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in the presence of Ms. Vijayashanti, that the party had decided to utilise services for campaigning in the southern States even as a close watch was being kept on Bellary. Asked why she had backtracked after her candidature was announced for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, he quipped " she has not backtracked. She is on the right track." The parliamentary board considered her name after requests came to field her came from the Hyderasbad Lok Sabha, Bellary and a few other places. It would be more useful to the party if she campaigned, he added.

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