Tumultuous welcome to Advani?s Yatra

A SEA of supporters standing on roadsides greeted BJP leader L K Advani’s ‘Bharat Suraksha Yatra’ that entered the City late this evening, an hour behind schedule.

About 200 big and small stages had been erected on the Yatra route from Vijay Nagar Square to DRP Lines, where Advani was to address a public meeting. While BJP party workers manned the stages, local youths and passers-by flocked around places that would give them a good view of Advani’s ‘rath’. Some of the stages were completely occupied by women who sang devotional and patriotic songs. Those standing on the stages showered flower petals on the passing cavalcade.

The roads resembled a carpet of flowers, especially laid out to welcome Advani. The pre-planning and survey of the entire route by SPG and various other security agencies helped avoid chaos and traffic was stopped only minutes before the cavalcade was to pass.

A rally of BJP workers traversed the entire route before the actual ‘Yatra’ entered the City. While State Ministers like Kailash Vijayvargiya came well before the ‘rath’ entered the City, stopping at most of the roadside stages to encourage the party workers and supporters, BJP national general secretary and Member of Parliament Sumitra Mahajan rode in seated besides Advani on the ‘rath’.

The cavalcade, already late from the meeting held in Dewas district, made good time on the highway and sped past most of the welcome stages.

First Published: Apr 28, 2006 14:13 IST