LUCKNOW, May 21: The `Raj Bhawan March' of the BSP was foiled today with the police arresting former chief minister and party MP Mayawati, party MP Arif Mohammed Khan and over 1,000 party activists in the morning. BSP workers were not allowed to enter Lucknow following heavy barricading. A red alert was sounded by the government in the state.BSP chief Kanshi Ram said in New Delhi, ``It is for the first time after the emergency that political activists have been prevented from holding demonstrations against the ruling party in the country.'' He gave a call to launch a nation-wide agitation in general and an indefinite agitation against the Kalyan Singh government in particular, by courting arrests in Lucknow and Barabanki districts from tomorrow.``This is an attempt to muzzle the voice of democracy. We will raise the issue in Parliament,'' Mayawati told the press. ``We have to expose the anti-dalit policies of the Kalyan Singh government and his directives to stop construction of the Ambekar Park SantRavidas Park in Varanasi,'' she said.The government made elaborate arrangements to foil the protest programme of the BSP and virtually turned Raj Bhawan into a fortress. Nobody was allowed to enter Mayawati's house. A few newsmen who tried to break the police cordon were roughed up by the security personnel.A spokesman of the Home Department said 500 BSP workers were arrested from the party office for trying to breach the police cordon but denied that the party cadres were detained in different districts. The BSP leaders, however, alleged that thousands of party workers were detained in different districts and over 2,000 persons were arrested in Lucknow alone.High drama preceded the arrest of Mayawati. When a police party arrived to arrest her, black cat commandos - provided for her security - raised objections and came in front of the police van. Later, Mayawati, along with the commandos, were taken to the PAC guest house on Kanpur road for breach of peace.
