SPOTLIGHT Congressmen are rubbing their hands in glee, as if they have almost won the elections. They seem to be seeing “the light at the end of the tunnel” as far as Narendra Modi is concerned. Modi’s decision to break the unwritten rule by campaigning in Amethi seems to have done more harm to the BJP’s prospects than Rahul Gandhi.
There was pressure building on Modi to take on Rahul Gandhi directly, some were beginning to wonder whether an “adjustment” had been reached between the two sides. But Modi cancelled another rally to be in Amethi on last day of campaigning of penultimate round on 5th May and hit out big time against the Gandhi family.
“The personal attack on Gandhi family could have been avoided. Rahul may not have done enough work for us, but we still respect the family” says 55 year old Baijnath Dwivedi, resident of Sangrampur village. “It’s our right to complain about Rahul Ji, because we treat them like our family.”
The mood was somewhat similar in Amethi town. “Gandhis are like our extended family. We can always approach them through their office. We may have our differences with his (Rahul) style of functioning, but that is between the two of us,” adds Prahlad Singh. It seems Modi coming to Amethi has had just the effect he was least hoping for.
Modi retorted by accusing former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of practising “hate politics” when he insulted former Andhra Chief Minister T.Anjaiah in public during the eighties. And it is not without reason that Priyanka Gandhi chose to play on the “insult to Rajiv Gandhi” card. “People of Amethi are like my family, and they will make these outsiders pay the price for the insult to my father,” slammed Priyanka.
“Every booth of Amethi will be proof of the insult.” Modi has gone a step further by taking on the Election Commission at the last juncture. After the district administration denied permission for BJP to hold a rally in Varanasi on Thursday, the party has staged marches in Varanasi and in Delhi outside the Commission’s office. Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar held fort outside the BHU gate in Varanasi while Venkaiah Naidu and other leaders met EC officials.
"We have told the Election Commission about what happened in Varanasi. We have urged them to replace the DM and conduct an independent inquiry into the matter,"said Naidu after the meeting. The Congress lost no time in branding Modi as a dictator who is getting the script all wrong. “This shows the frustration of the BJP and Narendra Modi. When people or institutions do not do things the way he likes them to happen, he goes after them.
He can never be a team leader,” says Shaktisinh Gohil, National Spokesperson, Congress. “Look at what he did to LK Advani, he is running only after power. It’s use and throw policy.” There is a growing feeling within the Congress camp that Modi’s charge is on the wane in the last lap of the election campaign. Narendra Modi and his close aide Amit Shah have started feeling the heat which has led to them making controversial speeches every now and then. “
By terming Azamgarh as a base of terrorists, Amit Shah is insulting the people of UP,"says Akhilesh Pratap Singh, national spokesperson, Congress. “These people come from outside and make such statements to polarise voters on the lines of religion, but they will get their answer on 16th." And just when Congress smells that Modi’s campaign may be faltering in the last leg, they have tried to counter his OBC card.
Modi has repeatedly used his OBC status in Hindi heartland, especially UP and Bihar. “Modi’s caste is Modhghanchi. This title was given to traders who did business in ghee and wholesale trade. They are Vaishyas (business community) and not Teli (OBC caste) as publicised by him. Modhghanchis are found only in Gujarat,” claims Shaktisinh Gohil. “The first decision that Modi took after becoming CM of Gujarat was that of putting Modhghanchis in the OBC list.
The circular was dated 1st January, 2002,” he said waving the photocopy of the circular during a press conference in Delhi on Thursday. But there were enough theatrics on Wednesday as Amethi went to polls. It is perhaps for the first time that Rahul Gandhi faces some sort of a challenge from the family pocket borough.
The polling was as high as 55.20% in the heat as compared to 45.16% in 2009. So does this mean that BJP's Smriti Irani and AAP's Kumar Vishwas have upset Rahul’s calculations? BJP claims this 10% high vote is against Rahul Gandhi and it’s their party that has cornered it. That could be the only reason why Rahul Gandhi himself had to travel from booth to booth.
But the Congress camp seems confident of retaining a majority of its margin. They are hoping that the people of Amethi will rise above the drama of outsiders and repose their faith in the first family. After all, no matter how big the grievance be, family problems are discussed within the family and not with outsiders.
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