No entry for media at Samajwadi Party's Bollywood bash

Live coverage of a cultural extravaganza in Etawah in the ancestral Saifai village of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has been prohibited by the district administration.

According to District Magistrate P Guruprasad, unlike in previous years, live coverage of the event will not be permitted this year although one or two-minute long clips may be shot.

Information officer SD Dubey said that electronic media cameras would not be allowed in the area in front of the stage as they obstruct the view and also pose a security problem.

President of the Saifai Mahotsav organising committee, Dharmendra Yadav, said that video clips may be shot only at the beginning of the programme, not in between performances.

Bollywood stars like Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Alia Bhatt, Sara Khan, Soha Ali Khan, music composer duo Sajid-Wajid and singer Javed Ali and their teams have already reached Saifai in the seven chartered aircraft organised for the purpose.

Some more celebrities are expected to reach the village for the function, sources said.

Besides Mulayam Singh, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, Public Works Department Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and other ministers of the state Cabinet would be attending the programme on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a 17-member delegation of legislators, including eight Uttar Pradesh ministers, has already left for a five- nation tour this morning.

Together with the holding of the fest in Saifai village, the move to send the delegation of political leaders on the foreign tour has seen sharp criticism being directed at the Samajwadi Party government amidst media reports on poor conditions at relief camps for the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Image: Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit danced at the fest