The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Monday, December 9, 2002, Chandigarh, India

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Sonia fails to hold crowd
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

Mehsana, December 8
They came in hordes. They saw. And they went. As has been in the past the ‘exhibition’ value of the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, was visible here also as she addressed her second rally of the day as part of electioneering in Gujarat.

On her third round to the state, Ms Gandhi would not have been more impressed with the ability of the local leaders to gather crowd. It was possibly the largest crowd which had gathered here at the local stadium. It was also the largest which has been witnessed anywhere in any election rally addressed around Gujarat till now.

There were over 55,000 persons who had walked into the compound of the stadium located at the centre of this town more famous for “Operation Flood”. They were there for a glimpse of the Congress President who is trying hard to copy her mother-in-law and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and who most felt was now qualified enough to step into the shoes of the elder Gandhi.

But it was just a glimpse for which they stayed. Although all covered in Congress colours, they started moving out of the stadium gates within precisely three minutes of the starting of the speech by Ms Sonia Gandhi.

Possibly unable to associate themselves with the style with which Congress the President speaks or due to the poor public address system, the interest among the people was over in a jiffy after the arrival of the Congress President. The same crowd which had even cheered at the sight of the arrival of the helicopter which was carrying Ms Gandhi was least interested in the issues on which she was trying to get across to them.

Going by the numbers in Mehsana, where the Congress has put up Jiva Bhai Patel against BJP’s Anil Patel, it can feel rest assured. But the campaign managers of the Congress President will have to do their homework well for the future if they want their leader to hold the attention of the people.

If Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was unimpressive at the rallies here in Gujajrat in his first tour to the state yesterday, then Ms Gandhi was equally devoid of strength to bind the huge crowd which had gathered here for her.

The Congress President was also not able to raise many issues in front of this crowd. Having already raised the issue of the Cooperative Bank scam at her earlier rally, she did not have many issues to get across to the people here.

She said the BJP talks of terrorism and giving a fitting reply to Pakistan. “But who gave a fitting reply to Pakistan. It was Indira Gandhi,” she said as the crowd went up in a roar. She went on to add that on the coming 12th it would be the sisters of Indira Gandhi who would give a fitting reply to the BJP.

Except this one occasion Ms Gandhi was unable to evoke any emotions among the people. Not only was her tour to the Mehsana District, which sees election to eight Legislative Assembly seats and a byelection to a Lok Sabha seat, hurried and short but there was not much which the Congress could offer to the people.

She did however, attack the BJP for vitiating the atmosphere in Gujarat ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections by taking out Gaurav Yatras and also held the ruling party responsible for no economic growth in the state.

Incidentally, before the Congress President spoke it were the state leaders including Chief Ministerial candidate Shankar Sihn Vaghela who were at the microphone and were able to evoke great reactions from the crowd by raising issues which were close to their heart. Not only was the BJP attacked for making terrorism an issue in the elections but was not spared for the various scams its leaders have been involved in the recent past.

GUJARAT DIARY
No name on chair for Sonia
Girja Shankar Kaura

Ahmedabad, December 8
Seeing the Congress culture it was no surprise that the organisers of the massive rally at Mehsana near Ahmedabad did not have the courage to write the name of party president Sonia Gandhi on the chair designated for her on the dais.

There were five chairs on the stage each bearing the name of the Congress leader expected to be there for the rally at the strong hold of member of Parliament Ahmed Patel. Neatly computer printed names of Ms Ambika Soni, Mr Kamal Nath and some others were all tagged to the white covered chairs.

But there was no name on the one in the middle of all those chairs. It only had “Madam” written on it. It reminded one straightaway of the long Congress legacy where the party president has been looked upon almost as a demi-god.

However going by the culture in the other parties there has never been any hesitation in putting the names of the leaders may be with the adding of a respectable ‘ji’. Whether it is the BJP or the NCP or any of the Communist outfits the name of the leaders is put clearly on the chairs.

But this unmistakeably was the Congress culture. However, one was forced to think that had Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also been campaigning for the Congress along with her mother at the same time what would have the beleagured Congress workers done. Would they have put the words, “Madam-I and Madam-II” on the chairs?

Ambika Soni left behind

President Sonia Gandhi arrived for the rally at this small but prosperous town with the other Congress leaders in toe, the one to be left behind was Ms Ambika Soni.

While the other Congress leaders who were already present at the rally venue and the SPG men accompanying Ms Gandhi surrounded her as she got off her bullet-proof car, one person seen trying to catch up hard with Congress President was Ms Sonia.

She ran hard to be present with Ms Gandhi when she went up the stairs to the stage but could not do so. Finally it was Mr Kamal Nath who accompanied Ms Gandhi up to the stage and Ms Soni reached up only a little later and did not even stay upstage for long. She was down at the backstage meeting other party workers.

However another thing that did not go unnoticed was the loyalty of the Congress leaders to their Madam. They stood in a straight line at the backstage almost as if for a guard of honour just as they came to know that Ms Gandhi was about to reach the rally venue.

Laloo the crowd puller

With former Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav jumping into the election arena in favour of the Congress, the rallies here have become more interesting if not anything else.

He has till now in fact turned out to be the maximum crowd puller. His antics have had the rallyists in splits, specially those from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh who have a sizeable population here.

Starting his electioneering from the Minority dominated areas of Ahmedabad yesterday, he called upon the people in his own way to vote for the Congress. However he was quick to add that he was not here to seek vote for the Congress but to ensure the demise of the BJP.

He went ahead to call Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with all kinds of names. “Yeh Kaun hai Atal Behari, Shyam Behari, Ram Behari,’ he said as the public roared. He had people again on their feet when he called upon them to bring the Congress to power in the State.

He added if you don’t bring us to power here we will definitely come to power at the Centre. And when we do that, we will lock up Narendra Modi under POTA.

You can expect Laloo Prasad Yadav to come out with such one-liners. Is it that he has one thing in mind, “public ka attention ke liye kuch bhi karega.”