Rahul loses in translation, gains in hope at Purulia

Purulia, Apr 25 : In his maiden election trip to the state on Friday, All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi began his tour from the tribal district of Purulia.

Even though Purulia happens to be a Left stronghold with the Communists retaining the seat for the last three decades, Gandhi’s visit brought in a wave of excitement among the locals. He raised issues like NREGA while trying to connect with the people of the most backward region of the state.

Some could not decipher what he was saying in Hindi while some did not know the issues he was talking about. When Gandhi began speaking about the Indo-US nuclear deal, Tapan Mahato (65) was left dumbstruck and had no idea what the fuss was all about. On being explained by a Congress leader that the deal will bring electricity to the villages, he looked a little satisfied.

“I have come here to see him. We were told that some big political leader is coming to our constituency for the first time,” said Phulmani Murmu (35) who came walking all the way from Ramnagar, about five kms away from the site.

Forex is for everyone Easy to Start, Easy to Trade. www.finexo.comExclusive Cisco Contest Win Cisco Solutions ($25,000 Value) www.Cisco.com/SGAXIS Bank Remittance Transfer Money at Better Exchange axisbankremit.in Ads by Google

Gandhi arrived at 11.50 am and left by 12.20 pm. The landing of the helicopters provided a visual treat to the onlookers in the tribal belt. The people did not mind getting smeared with dust as the helicopter descended on the barren dusty ground.

For a couple of hours, around 30,000 people braved the scorching sun and temperature soaring up to 49 degrees Celsius just to catch a glimpse of the young Gandhi scion. Realising the plight of his listeners, Gandhi thanked the people who came out to hear him. With the rousing reception he received, Gandhi shrugged off security concerns to mingle with the people.

He came near the fence and held out his hand to the people in the crowd while his security guards struggled to maintain a distance between him and the people.

While Congress leaders on the dais talked about their long association with the Gandhi family and attending rallies with Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi, a few in the crowd were not sure whether Rahul Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi had come to meet them.

All roads led to Sainik School Purulia in the morning with buses carrying loads of people to the rally site. Most of them trudged all the way to the site. Murmu had come all the way from Barabajara, about 50 km from Purulia town, to see the leader. He says that he has never seen such a crowd and has high hopes that there will be some development as “big people” from Delhi are coming to his land.

In the Maoist belt of Purulia, however, where political activity is not much visible other than wall graffiti and roadside flags and banners, the people are still not sure whether to venture out on the polling day with the rise in Maoist activities.

READ MORE - Rahul loses in translation, gains in hope at Purulia

Tamil Nadu: Congress hopes for a repeat alliance

Radhika Giri

CHENNAI, March 19 : Hopes of a repeat of the 2004, 40/40 performance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry is shining bright before the Congressmen's eyes, even if not in the DMK's in Tamil Nadu. Congress leaders are sparing no effort, rather than the DMK, to maintain a similar alliance as in the 2004 election when the Democratic Progressive Alliance, led by the DMK swept, all the available LS seats in the region trouncing its rival the AIADMK which was completely isolated in 2004.

After confirming their alliance with the DMK, the Congress is engaged in roping in the PMK, while also sounding out the ideology-less DMDK led by film actor Mr Vijayakanth, which has shown 8 percent vote bank throughout the state, the same as Congress. Both the PMK and the DMDK have gone into a state of hybernation since then prompting the DMK leadership to announce that they would give out the list of their candidates and constituencies within two days.

Congress insiders say that as far as alliance numericals are concerned, it is understood that a combination of one of the two Kazhagams (DMK or the AIADMK) with the Congress and the PMK is a winning one in Tamil Nadu.

Add the DMDK and the parties in the DMK front can sail at ease through the election, which is Congress's current calculation. While the Congress has taken upon itself the task of wooing the PMK, the DMK had put on hold its seat calculations to wait for the outcome.

"No one from the PMK have officially held alliance talks with us," chief minister and DMK leader, Mr M Karunanidhi finally stated last week. However the presence of the VCK, a party led by firebrand Dalit leader, Mr Thol Thirumavalavan, known for his closeness with PMK leader, Dr S Ramadoss, has kept hopes alive of the PMK returning to the DMK fold.

"The PMK has (in recent times) stayed where the VCK has. So we hope they will stay with the DMK front in this election," Mr Thirumavalavan said after confirming his party's alliance with the DMK despite state Congress leaders objections to the VCK's presence for its pro-LTTE stance. The Congress on its part has been maintaining that they were in talks with the PMK.

While Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, incharge for Tamil Nadu in this election, told the media in New Delhi that their alliance with the PMK continues, state Congress leaders made it known that they were eager to have the party in the DMK fold. The PMK which remains distanced from the DMK has preferred to keep silent.

Sources in the know hint that the PMK is waiting for its bete noire DMDK, whose leader Mr Vijayakanth's drew derision from the PMK for his entry from the film world, to decide first as that party too is being wooed by the Congress.

"PMK and DMDK will not share the same alliance," political observers here have opined.

If the PMK's silence has so far been keeping the DMK's seat sharing plans on hold, the AIADMK is in no better position. Since the fast by AIADMK chief Miss J Jayalalitha demanding India's intervention to bring ceasefire in Sri Lanka, the Poes Garden residence of Miss Jayalalitha too is in wait for the PMK leader's arrival.

Meanwhile, the DMDK leader too is playing his cards close to his chest. “It is the Congress that wants the DMDK in the alliance," a DMK insider quipped. To have the DMDK in the alliance, the DMK has to swallow its unease and vice versa for the DMDK too.

READ MORE - Tamil Nadu: Congress hopes for a repeat alliance