Zee, from where Shiv Sena’s Eknath Shinde and his troupe of MLAs are leading the fate of the Maharashtra government, but its high gates are tightly locked from within and the events inside are kept a secret.
The hotel is not taking any new bookings for the next one week due to ‘we are completely busy’, a hotel employee told PTI.
Asked if any bookings can be done for any day after next week, he said he cannot comment on that. Before the employee could be asked about the MLAs’ activities inside the hotel, he said, ‘Please, don’t question me about them. I can’t say anything related to them.
The hotel has 196 rooms and during an online search for bookings over the next few days, the response was: “No rooms available for these dates”. Another hotel employee said the four-day Ambubachi Mela has begun at the famous Kamakhya temple atop the Nilachal hills. A large number of police personnel have been deployed in and around the hotel along with senior police officials, managing the security arrangements.
The top police officers also remained silent about the guests coming to the hotel and the tight security arrangements. Media persons have been camping outside the hotel since Wednesday, when politicians from Maharashtra arrived here but no one was allowed inside the hotel. The Congress held demonstrations near the hotel during the day and asked Shinde and other MLAs to leave the state, which has been ravaged by devastating floods that have claimed 108 lives and affected a population of around 46 lakh.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that there should be no cause for controversy over his visit.
“We welcome all tourists visiting the state as we need funds to deal with the devastating floods,” he said. Why should we bid farewell to Goddess Lakshmi when most of our hotels are empty or less busy.
Shinde and other MLAs have been staying at the hotel since Wednesday morning after their arrival from Surat in a chartered plane. BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das and MLA Sushant Borgohain welcomed him at the airport.
The MLAs from Maharashtra were taken to the hotel in three Assam State Transport Corporation buses amid tight security.
The Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra is facing a crisis following discontent from a section of its MLAs led by Shinde.