Maya bars, then allows Rahul's visit to Kanpur university

KANPUR: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday opened a new front with the Congress when the administration cancelled an interaction by Rahul Gandhi with students of the Chandrashekhar Azad University in Kanpur this morning.

But the Bahujan Samaj Party chief soon relented and allowed Rahul Gandhi to interact with the students.

Earlier, Gandhi drove straight from the airport to the university where he found the doors of the auditorium, where he was scheduled to hold the interaction, locked.

Sources said the vice chancellor of the university had given instructions to cancel the programme. However, Rahul went ahead with his programme of meeting with the students at the university cafeteria.

UPPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi alleged that the cancellation was done under pressure from Chief Minister Mayawati, who a fortnight ago took on Congress president Sonia Gandhi cancelling the land allotment for a rail coach factory in Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.

After the cancellation, the administration also clamped prohibitory orders in Rae Bareli last week when Gandhi was scheduled to visit her constituency for the rail coach factory foundation stone laying ceremony.

As the issue went to court, the ceremony was cancelled but Gandhi went ahead with the visit and declared that she was ready to go to jail for the sake of development which the chief minister she alleged was blocking.

A few days later Mayawati also rescinded the cancellation of allotment and cleared land for the railways.