Advani manages to speak only for 15 minutes
Sunday, 23 October 2011 00:37
Vijay Deo Jha Ranchi
A grand welcome show has often been a tantalising political prospect for a leader but not in the case of BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani who disliked the huge motorcycle rally the party arranged to escort him from Birsa Munda Airport to Morhabadi Ground on Friday for Jan Chetna Rally. Advani already late on schedule hardly spoke for 15 minutes, even less, during the rally. Even after, the State BJP could have managed another 20 minutes for him to speak provided it would not have messed up his journey from Birsa Munda Airport to Morahabadi Ground in the motorcycle rally."We would have spared another 20 minutes more for Advaniji to speak. In fact precious 45 minutes were wasted from the airport to the rally ground as his cavalcade was sandwiched in a huge motorcycle rally," a senior party functionary said.Advani coming from Kolkata to Ranchi by air was already late on his schedule against the pre-announced programme of 11.30 am. He reached the rally ground around 12.45 pm, started his speech at 12.52 pm and ended it at 1.05 pm. Advani also sought apology for his brief stay here in Ranchi saying that he was scheduled to address another rally in Nicobar for which he needed to move fast as we would not be permitted land after 3.30 pm as per the rule of the airport authority of Nicobar airport.Party insiders said that the idea of a grand welcome of Advani by escorting him to the rally point by motorcycle rally was the part of the plan of to offer him an impressive show of support. "But once he arrived late the plan should have been dropped. In fact his cavalcade was caught in a traffic chaos created by motorcycle-borne party workers who were deputed welcome Advaniji," source said.One of the leaders, who was part of the team deputed to escort Advani to the rally ground, admitted that Advani in hurry to reach the ground even expressed concern that such a huge show might cause delay to him.As per the schedule, the State leadership had planned around 45 minutes for Advani's speech. Ravishankar Prasad and Anant Kumar, one out of two Central leaders accompanying him were also scheduled to address the rally besides Chief Minister Arjun Munda and State BJP president Dineshananda Goswami. Munda had to finished his speech in less than two minutes. Goswami got no time even for a customary welcome speech. In terms of arrangement the rally was a marked improvement on the two previous rallies of Advani in Ranchi. What dismayed State BJP and workers was the point that they got less time to hear the senior leader.