The Varanasi district administration that had withdrawn its permission for holding the rally following refusal by the Indian Railways to allow any political function on their ground, eventually gave its nod after the railways reversed its decision.
"We had withdrawn the permission only because the railways -- the owners of the venue -- had flatly refused to allow any political event there; but now that they have given their go-ahead , why should we have any objection?" Varanasi superintendent of police Navin Jindal told mediapersons.
The rally that was proposed for 8 pm on Wednesday was therefore delayed for a while. Much confusion prevailed throughout the day on account of the changing stand by both the railways and the state administration.
Advani's rally was in for roadblocks right from the outset. Initially the air-conditioning of the bus developed some defect following which BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley got unwell.
Subsequently the bus was replaced, but this one proved too tall for an underpass where it got stuck and could not be moved without damaging the top portion of the vehicle.
No sooner than it overcame the mechanical hurdles, logistics came in the way with the railway authorities telling the organisers that they could not permit a political rally on their property.
Reacting sharply to the order, the BJP leadership trained its guns on both Congress and the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.
"The railway ministry's sudden change of mind reflects the thinking of the UPA leadership which cannot digest the extent of support that the Advani yatra has evoked among common people", remarked a BJP spokesperson.
"But let the UPA be warned that their act of cowardice will not deter us from going ahead with the yatra that is aimed at spreading the word about the rampant corruption at the highest levels under the Congress-led dispensation", he added.
The BJP leadership also questioned the decision of the UP government to withdraw the permission.
"In any case, if the railways had remained adamant on their stand, we could have shifted the venue, so where was the need for the state government to withdraw the permission that was already granted?" he asked.
