BJP leadership meet begins amid tight security
By IANSWednesday, February 17, 2010
INDORE - The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national executive met here Wednesday amid tight security in the wake of the weekend Pune bombing that killed 11 people.
The party’s top and second-rung leaders gathered in a tented accommodation called Kushabhau Thakre Nagar. The first to speak was outgoing president Rajnath Singh.
Attending the conclave are star leader and former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani, Chief Ministers Narendra Modi of Gujarat and Raman Singh of Gujarat and former presidents Murli Manohar Joshi and M. Venkaiah Naidu.
All of them are staying in specially designed eco-friendly tents. Some 1,300 tents and 25 VVIP tents have been put up. About 5,000 delegates from all over the country are at the BJP meet.
They belong to the party’s national executive and the national council.
With the Pune terror attack only four days old, tight security has been enforced at the site.
Besides the Madhya Pradesh Police, commandos, the Anti-Terrorist Squad and sniffer dogs have been deployed.
Also protecting the top leaders are over 150 wrestlers or ‘pahalwans’, wearing the traditional turban of the Malwa region.
This is the first BJP national executive meet after Nitin Gadkari became party president.
–Indo-Asian News Service.
