The Hindu : Sonia strikes a chord with Orissa's villagers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004

National

National

Sonia strikes a chord with Orissa's villagers

By Prafulla Das

BANAPUR (ORISSA), FEB. 16. The men and women of the Dalit ward in Kanheipur village of Banapur block in Orissa were taken completely by surprise this afternoon. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, walked down to their homes, mingled with them and even visited the Raghunathji temple there.

Ms. Gandhi, who began her two-day Jansampark Yatra from Bhubaneswar this morning, was proceeding towards Berhampur after visiting Pipili and Jatni when she spotted a group of people waiting on the side of the road. She immediately asked her driver to stop the vehicle, got down and began walking towards the Dalit hamlet. A few Special Protection Group personnel followed.

As the trip was not scheduled, the Congressmen following her vehicle took some time to realise what was happening before running towards the village. Ms. Gandhi went inside a few houses and spoke to the people. Although few could follow Hindi, she quickly struck a chord with the villagers.

Despite not making a formal speech anywhere, Ms. Gandhi appeared to have sent the message that she was no longer inaccessible. Thousands of men and women lined up on both sides of the road for a glimpse of the Congress leader.

At Jatni, Ms. Gandhi not only went near the barricade to shake hands with the people, but also went inside the crowd leaving the securitymen behind. She went beneath the barricade to come make her way up to her vehicle. At the Rajiv Gandhi grounds in Tangi, a huge gathering was waiting for her.

Ms. Gandhi was accompanied by the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee president, J.B. Patnaik, the AICC general secretary, Digvijay Singh, the former Union Minister, Selja, and many other leaders.

Addressing presspersons near Berhampur town later, Ms. Gandhi criticised the National Democratic Alliance Government's desperation to highlight the "feel-good" factor. "The feel-good factor may be there for those who were close the Government at the Centre, but there was no feel-good factor for the masses," she said.

On alliances with other likeminded parties, Ms. Gandhi said that the Congress had already tied up with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and that efforts were on to build similar alliances with others.

After a night halt in Berhampur, Ms. Gandhi will visit Hinjli, the Orissa Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik's Assembly constituency, tomorrow morning. She will then go to Aska, Bhanjanagar, Nayagarh and Khurda before returning to Bhubaneswar en route to New Delhi.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National