National
Sonia casts a spell in Punjab
By Sarabjit Pandher
The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, with party officials, during an election rally at Balachaur in Punjab on Tuesday. - Reuters
BALACHAUR (Nawanshahr), FEB. 5. If the response from the crowd is any indication, the decision of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to start the first-leg of her election campaign in Punjab here today was an astute move. This township, in the backwaters of the State's Doaba region, was overwhelmed by the first-ever visit of any leader of national standing.
According to reports, her public rallies at Jalandhar and Abohar during the day were also well-attended. On her second leg on February 7, Ms. Gandhi would address rallies at Talwandi Sabo and Morinda.
Sources said Ms. Gandhi had deliberately chosen places where top leaders of most parties did not go earlier. Congress workers - especially the State unit president, Amarinder Singh - could not have asked for a better booster dose to take on their rivals.
Dressed in mehandi green and brown combination Punjabi suit, Ms. Gandhi arrived in the helicopter which has been hired by the State Congress. The people, who had been waiting since morning undergoing security checks, waved cheerfully as the chopper carrying her landed and later when it took off.
Establishing an immediate rapport with her audience, especially women, Ms. Gandhi spoke like a leader who could sense that victory was just round the corner. In her speech brimming with confidence, she focussed on issues relating to Punjab. Her speech revolved round the problems and aspirations of farmers, youth, women, the Scheduled Castes and backward classes. The effort had an immediate impact - the audience cheered and raised slogans in her favour at regular intervals.
Ms. Gandhi got the most enthusiastic applause when she issued a direction to her party asking it to ensure that every promise made to the people during the campaign was fulfilled in case the Congress formed the next Government in Punjab. She said Punjab had slipped from being the most prosperous State to becoming one on the verge of bankruptcy as the Akali Dal-BJP alliance did not fulfil the promises it made five years ago.
The Congress had suffered losses but had never compromised on its principles, ideology and ideals. The party had Governments in 11 States, where an attempt was being made to empower the people in the true sense through devolution of powers right up to the panchayat level.
She asked the people to compare the situation in the Congress-ruled States with Punjab, while emphasising that her party had never turned away from the stiffest challenges.
Sensing the mood among the audience, Ms. Gandhi said that she could still feel the enthusiasm among the people to restore the glory for which Punjab was globally famous. It was high time that the ``inefficient'' and ``corruption-ridden'' Government was thrown out.
Ms. Gandhi argued that as the Akali Dal-BJP combine had failed miserably, it did not deserve another chance. She said that after waging a successful struggle against terrorism, special policies were required to reconstruct Punjab and put it back on the road to prosperity.
But as ``irresponsible people'' came to power through propaganda and false promises, all that Punjab gained in 45 years after Independence was lost in the last five years.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
National
|
