The Hindu : Maharashtra MLAs holiday in Mysore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 11, 2002

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Maharashtra MLAs holiday in Mysore

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE JUNE 10. Anxiety over the fate of the Democratic Front Government was palpable on the faces of the 71 Maharashtra MLAs who arrived in Mysore today. Though the visit had been planned to keep their morale high, it did not seem to be very successful.

Accompanied by the Karnataka Minister for Cooperation, D.K. Shivakumar, and the Minister for Tourism, Roshan Baig, the MLAs belonging to the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a few independents were here on a day's tour that included visits to the Mysore Palace, Chamundi Hills and Krishnaraja Sagar. The entourage also comprised 15 Ministers of the Democratic Front Government.

The MLAs were taken around the historical places and a strict vigil was kept over them by Congress workers, who did not allow them to even talk to presspersons. Though some journalists managed to gain entry into a resort where the MLAs had lunch, the Congress workers, who were sporting identification badges, were seen persuading the MLAs to get into their buses.

It is learnt that the each of the three buses that brought the MLAs to Mysore also carried 12 party activists appointed by the KPCC to keep a watch on them. Accompanying the two State Ministers and the "guests" from Maharashtra were the Congress leader, B.A. Hasanabba, and the MLC, Salim Ahmed.

Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Shivakumar said that while some MLAs preferred to relax in the Golden Palms Resorts and Spa in Bangalore, most of the others wanted to visit Mysore. The MLAs would be flown to Mumbai on Thursday, when the Government faces the confidence vote.

The Congress MLA from Sangli, Dinakar Patil, said the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, had assured the MLAs that the Government would win the confidence vote comfortably. Mr. Deshmukh also said the Government had six MLAs more than required for a majority and that the threat to the Government by the Shiv Sena-BJP combine had been warded off.

Interestingly, while presspersons kept moving from one place to another anticipating the visit of the MLAs, even officials of the Tourism Department were kept on tenterhooks with Mr. Baig asking them to be ready at different places. An official said the Minister had first asked them to be stationed at Mandya and later changed the venue to the Ranganatittu Bird Sanctuary, near here. However, he Minister later asked them to meet the entourage at the resort on the outskirts of Mysore.

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