Akhilesh Yadav keeps scribes, officials waiting on streets on New Year

Lucknow: The new year started off on a bumpy note for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav as journalists invited to his residence were kept waiting on the streets for over an hour, after which they boycotted the meeting. Hundreds of IAS and police officials, who turned up to greet him at his official residence at Kalidas Marg, were also kept waiting by the chief minister’s security personnel. More than four dozen journalists had been invited by the state Information and Public Relations Department to meet the Uttar Pradesh chief minister on the New Year. [caption id=“attachment_575040” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] Officials told them there was no word from the chief minister on allowing them access into the high security bungalow. Incensed at this, the journalists – from the print and electronic media – walked out in a huff and told officials that they were boycotting the event. Hemant Tiwari, president of the Uttar Pradesh Accredited Journalists Association, who led the protest, said: “If the chief minister behaves in this manner on the first day of the new year, there is little one can say about him.” Senior IAS and police officials were forced to make their way through crowds of Samajwadi Party workers, who had also made a beeline to greet Akhilesh Yadav on his first New Year as the chief minister of the state. IANS