<p>A BJP rally scheduled to be addressed Sunday by senior leader L.K. Advani in Uttar Pradesh's Akola town has been postponed to Sep 29, citing security reasons.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Agra Divisional Commissioner Pradip Bhatnagar and senior district officials late Friday held a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including local MP Ram Shankar Katheria.<br /><br />The officials agreed to allow the rally Sep 29 in Akola, 18 km from Agra, "if the situation in the state remains normal".<br /><br />The postponement took place Friday, a day when BJP anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate despite opposition from Advani.<br />MP Varun Gandhi was also scheduled to address the Akola rally.<br /><br />BJP Agra district president Ashok Rana said they will decide after consultation with state president Lakshmi Kant Vajpayee and others.<br /><br />"In a way, it's a relief for Advaniji who would have been asked to state his position vis-a-vis Modi, a subject he would perhaps like to avoid for a few days," party sources said.<br /><br />Agra District Magistrate Zuhair Bin Saghir and senior police officials have been trying to convince BJP leaders that the time was not right to hold a rally in the present circumstances when passions were running high in the aftermath of communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and nearby areas that left 47 dead.<br /><br />On Friday, police and paramilitary forces marched through Akola town. A team of police was sent to uproot tents at the rally venue.<br /><br />"Right now, the whole area is tense and people are fuming with anger," BJP leaders said in Agra.<br /><br />Some BJP leaders said they were ready to court arrest Sunday to defy restrictions and Section 144 that prohibits unlawful assembly. <br /><br />BJP workers felt cheated and angry at the postponement of the rally.<br /><br />"The Modi-anointment celebrations were dampened by the district administration's ban on the Akola rally, but party workers will soon gear up and work for the success of the rally on a new date," said BJP activist Pramendra Jain.</p>
<p>A BJP rally scheduled to be addressed Sunday by senior leader L.K. Advani in Uttar Pradesh's Akola town has been postponed to Sep 29, citing security reasons.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Agra Divisional Commissioner Pradip Bhatnagar and senior district officials late Friday held a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including local MP Ram Shankar Katheria.<br /><br />The officials agreed to allow the rally Sep 29 in Akola, 18 km from Agra, "if the situation in the state remains normal".<br /><br />The postponement took place Friday, a day when BJP anointed Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate despite opposition from Advani.<br />MP Varun Gandhi was also scheduled to address the Akola rally.<br /><br />BJP Agra district president Ashok Rana said they will decide after consultation with state president Lakshmi Kant Vajpayee and others.<br /><br />"In a way, it's a relief for Advaniji who would have been asked to state his position vis-a-vis Modi, a subject he would perhaps like to avoid for a few days," party sources said.<br /><br />Agra District Magistrate Zuhair Bin Saghir and senior police officials have been trying to convince BJP leaders that the time was not right to hold a rally in the present circumstances when passions were running high in the aftermath of communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and nearby areas that left 47 dead.<br /><br />On Friday, police and paramilitary forces marched through Akola town. A team of police was sent to uproot tents at the rally venue.<br /><br />"Right now, the whole area is tense and people are fuming with anger," BJP leaders said in Agra.<br /><br />Some BJP leaders said they were ready to court arrest Sunday to defy restrictions and Section 144 that prohibits unlawful assembly. <br /><br />BJP workers felt cheated and angry at the postponement of the rally.<br /><br />"The Modi-anointment celebrations were dampened by the district administration's ban on the Akola rally, but party workers will soon gear up and work for the success of the rally on a new date," said BJP activist Pramendra Jain.</p>