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Cancellation of PM's Ranchi trip leads to speculation

Our Correspondent in Patna

The cancellation of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Ranchi on Friday has led to speculation that the decision may have had something to do with Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Laloo Prasad Yadav's meeting with President K R Narayanan, armed with a long list of complaints against the state governor, on the same day.

The official reason given was the absence of a helipad.

In his day-long trip to Bihar, the prime minister was to have attended a function in connection with the death centenary of tribal hero Birsa Munda and a public meeting at Ranchi.

He was to land in Ranchi, and from there fly to Birsa's ancestral village by helicopter. Informed sources said Indian Air Force officers refused to allow the chopper to land in the village. But few buy this story.

National Democratic Alliance watchers believe that since the state government and Governor Vinod Pandey are at daggers drawn, Vajpayee might have deemed it fit to keep a close watch on the developments.

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