National - Elections 2004   

Minister's rally attacked

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, APRIL 2. The Union Minister of State for Coal, Prahlad Patel's election rally was attacked today near Chhindwara by a mob that allegedly comprised supporters of the senior Congress leader, Kamal Nath.

According to information received here from the Chhindwara district authorities, Mr. Patel's "motorcycle rally" which started from Rohna Kala, 12 km from Chhindwara, was attacked by a stone-throwing crowd. The crowd also shouted slogans in support of Mr. Kamal Nath and asked Mr. Patel to leave Chhindwara.

Mr. Kamal Nath has represented Chhindwara continuously in Parliament since 1980, except for two brief spells — first, when his wife was elected from this constituency in the wake of the hawala scandal and then when he was defeated by the senior BJP leader, Sunderlal Patwa. He was re-elected from Chhindwara on the Congress ticket in the 1999 Lok Sabha election. This time he has chosen to challenge Mr. Nath on his home turf.

It is learnt that the mob went berserk and even smashed the windshields of two cars — a Maruti and a Toyota Qualis — in Mr. Patel's convoy.

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