BJP to hold rally against cash-for-vote row

Lucknow, Aug 1: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would hold a 'Bhandaphor' rally here on Saturday, August 2 against the cash-for-vote scam in which party president Rajnath Singh would be the main speaker.

Disgruntled BJP vice-president Kalyan Singh, who is loosing out favour from the national leadership, was again not invited by the party for the protest march. Earlier on June 27, Kalyan Singh had not participated in the rally of BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani at Kanpur and had later boycotted the state working council meeting held at Vrindavan on July 14-15.

State BJP president Rampati Ram Tripathi told that only Mr Rajnath Singh's name was conveyed for the march in Lucknow. ''No other leaders are expected expect for some state leaders,'' he said.

Mr Tripathi said a similar rally was being organised by the party in all the state capitals of the country and the central leadership has decided on the leaders, who would address these gatherings.

At present, Mr Kalyan Singh is camping in Aligarh and not expected to return to the state capital tomorrow.

State BJP spokesperson Hridya Narain Dikshit said here that party supporters from 12 adjoining districts of the state capital would participate in the rally to be held at Jyoti-ba-Phule park in the Chowk area.

The main thrust of the rally would be to create an awareness among people about the misuse of money power by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to enable them to win the confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on July 22.

Mr Dikshit said the BJP leaders would also rake up issues of corruption and lack of development by the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in the state in their speeches in the rally.

UNI