The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Mayawati arrives; party rally today

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Sunday, Dec 23, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Mayawati arrives; party rally today

Special Correspondent

Tight security cordon around Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP leader

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Arrival: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati greeting party workers at the airport in Bangalore on Saturday.

Bangalore: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit to the State. She will address a rally of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) at the Palace Grounds on Sunday.

Ms. Mayawati, who is the president of the BSP, came by a private aircraft from Lucknow. She was received by State BSP president B. Gopal, the former Minister P.G.R. Sindhia and office-bearers of the party.

The BSP leader waved to the waiting crowd comprising party workers and sympathisers along with members of the uniformed Bahujan Volunteer Force and then proceeded to a nearby hotel.

Photographers and television channels had to be content with taking pictures from a distance, and no reporter was allowed to go near the leader. However, the party’s media managers took reporters to the hotel from where they had to return without meeting the Chief Minister after an hour’s wait.

Satishchandra Misra, MP, tried to convince the security personnel to allow the reporters to meet Ms. Mayawati. Looked tired, Ms. Mayawati came out of her room, posed for the photographers and went back inside.

The security was so tight that Mr. Sindhia and Mr. Gopal had to wait outside. They were allowed to meet her after an hour.

Sindhia to join party

While Mr. Sindhia will join the party at Sunday’s rally, sources said that the former Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash would meet Ms. Mayawati on Sunday.

Leaders, such as Jigani Shankar, who have been working for the party for a long time and have organised the rally, were seen waiting in a room for an audience with their leader.

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