Date:29/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112957360700.htm

Other States - Rajasthan

Local issues dominate Mewar rural areas

Sujay Mehdudia

Rahul Gandhi to address poll meetings today

Rajasthan has hardly voted on the terror agenda in the past
“Mr. Gehlot’s rallies drawing huge crowds and this is an indication of things to come”

DUNGARPUR: The country’s worst ever terror strike experienced by Mumbai since Wednesday night has become a topic of hot discussion among the electorate in the urban areas but the population in many rural areas such as the tribal belts of Mewar region in Rajasthan is more focussed on local problems and issues.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to address a series of meeting on Saturday in the tribal heartland of Pratap Pur-Gari and also in Nathdwara and Reodhar. He would have competition from Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is currently on a tour of the Mewar region with his brand of “Hindutva” and nationalistic agenda.

However, a visit to the tribal areas of Banswara and Dungarpur along with adjoining regions of Chittorgarh and Udaipur rural during the past two days clearly indicates that local issues of good roads, better quality of power, water, irrigation facilities, employment opportunities and even providing rail connectivity in the tribal belt have emerged as major concerns of the voters.

Although the terror attacks in Mumbai are a hot topic of discussion among the people in the small towns and cities and could contribute in influencing the voter mood, this is unlikely to happen in the rural belts as people of Rajasthan have hardly voted on the terror agenda in the past.

The Congress camp is a bit wary of the BJP making the terror attacks a major election plank in the run-up to the December 4 Rajasthan Assembly polls. So far the BJP leaders have refrained from talking about the terror attacks in their street-corner meetings and public rallies but this could change in the last few days of the campaigning. BJP president Rajnath Singh along with party general secretary O. P. Mathur will be touring the Mewar region in the next few days. But the counter-propaganda launched by the Congress’ star campaigner Ashok Gehlot especially in the tribal belt during the past few days has made the BJP jittery and the impact is clearly to be seen.

“Mr. Gehlot’s rallies have drawn huge crowds and this is an indication of things to come and the high levels of resentment that prevails among the people in the tribal areas,” said Congress spokesman Pankaj Kumar Sharma.