Notwithstanding the problems posed by heavy fog and the cold spell,the BSP is ready to show its strength at the rally in Lucknow on December 18. Nearly 1,000 buses,equally large number of four wheelers and train loads of participants are being sent from Allahabad and Mirzapur divisions to Lucknow to be part of Chief Minister Mayawatis rally. BSP office bearers said that already 150 buses of the Uttar Pradesh Surface Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) have been hired at a rate of Rs 14,000 per bus to ferry the supporters to and fro from Lucknow. A few buses,which will leave from Koraon area,have been hired for Rs 18,000 per bus from the UPSRTC, a district level office bearer said today. Ashok Siddhartha,MLC and coordinator BSP,who is looking after the arrangements from the two divisions,said: UPSRTC and private buses have been hired in large numbers and they have been paid in advance. The workers are being mobilised to reach the venue,despite the weather. More than 80 per cent of our buses have already moved by 4 pm. Apart from the roadways,there are private buses,which have been hired in advance. The plan is to send nearly 500 buses from Allahabad. In fact,we wanted more but could not find many as our own partymen have hired it in other districts, said Harsh Vardhan Vajpayee,Mahanagar president of the BSP and a candidate from Allahabad (North). If the number of buses is so high,one can only imagine the number of four wheelers that would be roped in for the purpose, he added. The office bearers added that each constituency has been asked to send at least 45 buses and 5,000 participants. The target given for Allahabad alone was 75,000. These are times of harsh winter and heavy fog,so we cannot expect to exceed that,but we are trying to get to the target. Even if we get close,it would be huge numbers, said the office bearer. Siddhartha added that not only Allahabad,but all the other districts in the region were also chipping in. From Pratapgarh,we are getting nearly 265 buses and around 600 four wheelers,from Bhadohi we are expecting around 165 buses and from Kaushambi too we are expecting around 175 buses, said Sidhhartha,who had reached Allahabad after ensuring that participants from Sonbhadra have boarded trains in large number to reach Lucknow. Siddhartha added that the workers and supporters were made to board the train in bulk at various stations last evening. Last week,\PWD Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui had visited Allahabad and reviewed the arrangements being made for the rally. There were,however,a few hiccups as buses from a couple of constituencies had not reached the places from where they were supposed to leave. Also,to beat the problems due to fog,the time given for leaving their departure points was 2 pm. When asked about it,Siddhartha said: The official time was 2 pm,but we are ensuring that all buses get moving by 4 pm. In any case,a BSP worker is a BSP worker. If he has to reach Lucknow,he is tough enough to do that. The party has issued standing instructions not to send old,infirm,women and children in the function. These are partys standing instructions, said Vajpayee.
