Bengaluru resort turns into a fortress
A security cordon around the resort was enhanced with access limited to senior party leaders and ministers, employees and guests.
Bengaluru: A resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru turned into a fortress on Saturday with ruling Congress leaders stretching every sinew to shield 40 party legislators from Gujarat, who arrived in the city in the wee hours, to thwart attempts by the BJP to woo them ahead of crucial Rajya Sabha polls on August 8. A security cordon around the resort was enhanced with access limited to senior party leaders and ministers, employees and guests who had checked in earlier. Scores of media persons — print and electronic media — were restrained from entering the premises, leaving them with no choice but to wait outside the gate for visuals and quotes.
The legislators, sources said, were requested not to use their mobile phones with top leaders mulling the possibility of moving them to safer locations in Mysuru or Madikeri Sunday morning.
D.K.Suresh, MP, Bengaluru (Rural), who escorted these MLAs from Kempe Gowda International Airport and supervised arrangements for them, however, told the media that he had not received any instructions from top central leaders to “entertain” the legislators. “I am doing it in my personal capacity,” he said adding the resort, located in Ramanagara district, was chosen because of its proximity to the place where Sholay was shot in mid-1970. He sarcastically remarked that MLAs from Gujarat came to Bengaluru on a “pilgrimage as they want to seek the almighty's blessing to save Gujarat and democracy.”
The list of temples where these MLAs plan to offer pooja would be known later on. "Accordingly, we will make suitable arrangements for them. Whenever they want to leave, we will make arrangements for them,” he added while maintaining that all MLAs who landed early this morning were in this resort.
These legislators were flown to Bengaluru in the aftermath of a string of desertions ahead of elections on August 8 in which bigwigs, including BJP president Amit Shah, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary, Ahmed Patel, and Union minister Smriti Irani are contestants.
Sources in Congress said the top brass decided to fly these MLAs to Bengaluru in the wake of reports of more desertions and speculation that about a dozen had cross-voted during the recent Presidential election.