Manesar: The five-star ITC Grand Bharat resort in Haryana, where over 100 BJP MLAs are housed to guard against their poaching, resembles an impregnable fort with armed security men guarding the entire compound in the scenic background of the Aravali Hills.
Sources in the BJP on Tuesday said the MLAs started their day with their routine activities and later enjoyed breakfast with former Chief Minister B S Yeddyyurappa. Later some of them tried their hand at cricket within the premises.
The development comes in the wake of allegations that the Janata Dal-United (JD-S)-Congress coalition is trying to poach some of its MLAs.
The resort housing the Karnataka BJP MLAs has become the power centre amid allegations and counter-allegations of poaching. Since the arrival of the BJP MLAs on Monday night, over 100 security guards are keeping a watchful eye on the visitors.
Located amid the Aravali Hills in Manesar, about 55 km west from the national capital, the resort is also out of bounds for the media persons who are not being allowed inside.
A party source told IANS that the media is being kept away as the movement of all persons is being monitored through closed-circuit televisions.
He said that there are several security check-points at the resort, so that no unidentified visitor gets to meet the legislators.
The source said that over 90 MLAs came to this resort on Monday evening, and around six MLAs joined them later.
He also said that BJP leader Sadanand Gowda is flying to Delhi to meet the party MLAs in the resort.
Earlier in the day, R Shankar, a legislator from Ranebennur Assembly segment in Haveri district belonging to the regional Karnataka Pragnavtha Janata Party, and H Nagesh, an Independent from Mulbagal constituency in Kolar district, withdrew their support to the coalition government.
Congress MLAs at Mumbai luxury hotel
Attempts by mediapersons to sneak in a luxury hotel where some Congress MLAs from Karnataka were staying proved futile, amid talk of BJP's 'Operation Lotus' to topple the coalition government in the neighbouring state.
Security was beefed up at the five-star resort in suburban Mumbai where two independent MLAs and reportedly four Congress MLAs from Karnataka are staying.
The Congress suspects that some of its MLAs are lodged in the Powai-based hotel, kept secretly by BJP leaders.
Many journalists and Congress workers were seen in the vicinity of the hotel, searching for the "missing" Congress MLAs.
There was a large media presence outside the hotel Tuesday after the two independent MLAs announced they were withdrawing support to the Congress-JDS coalition government in Karnataka.
Earlier Tuesday, some mediapersons managed to sneak in the hotel but could not progress beyond the hotel lobby.
The hotel security and local police were at the main gate to monitor those entering the premises.
There were speculations that Karnataka Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar may visit the hotel but that did not materialise.
Shivakumar had on Sunday claimed that three Congress MLAs were camping at the hotel in the "company of some BJP leaders". "We are aware of what has transpired there and how much has been offered to them," Shivakumar had said.
