New Delhi, Jul 20 (IANS) It seemed anybody who was somebody in the ‘Third Front’ was present at the luncheon meeting hosted by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader K. Yerran Naidu’s residence here Sunday.
While the road leading to Yerran Naidu’s residence at 9 Safdarjung Road was packed with cars, cameramen and OVs, barely a few hundred metres away the 7 Race Course Road residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wore a deserted look.
Yerran Naidu’s residence suddenly became the focus of attention as the Third Front groupings invited the Left and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for talks on ways to oust the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in Tuesday’s trust vote.
The political heavyweights included Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja, BSP chief and Uttar pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, Indian National Lok Dal leader Ajay Chautala and others.
Apart from the eager and clamouring mediapersons, leaders and their security men, or in some cases Black Cat commandoes, coming in their fancy or secured Ambassador cars ensured that the road was completely blocked.
Passers-by, meanwhile, had tough time meandering through the road to central Delhi.
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Mayawati bows before media power
The hot and humid weather can lead to frayed tempers. More so if they are mediapersons chasing one political development after another. The huge media circus outside Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader K. Yerran Naidu’s house led to fracas not only among journalists themselves but also between them and some political heavyweights.
As one leader after another was entering the Naidu residence, desperate mediapersons tried to glean out information from security personnel. As reporters chased leaders for “bytes”, a security man in the melee hit a cameraman on the ribs.
This led to heated arguments between journalists and political leaders. As Mayawati got ready to address the media flanked by communist leaders Prakash Karat and A.B. Bardhan, the media switched off their cameras and threatened to boycott the briefing.
Seeing the 100-odd journalists in an aggressive mood, Bardhan tried to intervene but the media men insisted the security man first apologise. The press conference started only when the man came and apologised.
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Amar Singh looks lost, Akhilesh Yadav cheerful
If Mayawati could not stop herself from beaming whenever she was accompanied by a political leader of another party, her archrival Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh had few things to say and looked totally off-colour.
For a change, Amar Singh had few smart lines to deliver and it was left to his party leader – or “netaji” as party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is called by his supporters – to feed the media “quotable quotes”.
“Lal Jhanda aur Lal Krishna Advani ek ho gaye hain (The Red Flag and BJP leader L.K. Advani have united)” declared Yadav, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, referring to the communists and the BJP’s prime ministerial hopeful.
One person, who looked totally cool, was Akhilesh Singh Yadav, MP from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh and son of Yadav.
After the media briefing, he freely mingled with journalists and exchanged gossip on the ongoing political drama.