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THEe news that Rahul Gandhi had an ‘open-air’ bath at a hand pump in a Shravasti hamlet in Uttar Pradesh has created history, at least for the officer who operated the hand pump. He can now boast to generations to come that he was the man who pumped water for the Gandhi scion.
During his visit, Rahul also discussed the educational facilities available for the children and the condition of the fields and cattle in the village. Next time a village school might find a new teacher taking a maths class when a student would suddenly cry out, recognising the teacher, "Are yeh to Rahul bhaiya hai." If other leaders also follow the example set by Rahul, many leaders may start spending night in villages without basic facilities. Next morning they would be found defecating in the fields so as to study the toilet facilities. Youth leader Sukhbir Badal went to one village to study the electricity thefts. On finding something wrong with the electricity meter, he asked the executive engineer in charge, "Has the meter been tampered wirh? Why is it not working despite electricity being there?" The engineer replied, "Sir, because of the 24-hour power cuts, we have replaced them with stationery meters."
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The
purpose of such an act by Rahul may be to get first-hand information
on water scarcity in UP’s villages. However, to counter Rahul’s PR
move, Mayawati could provide men in government uniforms to operate
hand pumps for any visiting dignitary who wanted to have a bath at the
water pump.