19 August,2011 07:43 AM IST | | Amit Kumar
Says Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut, who recently published an ad in party paper Saamna taking a dig at the Gandhi scion, stating he was missing from Maharashtra where farmers need him
It's not necessary to be young to become a youth icon. That's what Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut believes. "It is not true that youngsters are attracted only by young leaders. The youth can be drawn to anyone, who address their problems and who have contributed towards the betterment of society. Anna has achievements in the social sector.
Take your pick: Raut opined that one doesn't have to be young
to strike a chord with the youth. He also said that Anna has been able
to address the issues of youngsters, while Rahul has failed on that front.
file pics
Rahul Gandhi has none; neither political nor social." He added, "When Jayaprakash Narayan fought against Emergency, he was 77 and had got the full support of the youth. Bala Saheb still enjoys the support of youngsters. Anna Hazare has raised his voice against corruption, the issue which touches the heart of everyone. That is why youths are supporting him in large numbers."
Even Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's unscheduled and surprise visit on Thursday at Mawal in Pune, where three farmers were killed and many others injured in police firing during a farmer protest, didn't inspire Shiv Sena.
The Saamna ad on a 'missing' Rahul Gandhi.
The party considers the Thursday visit the response of its ad in its mouthpiece Saamna. "We had carried a 'missing persons' advertisement in search of Rahul Gandhi stating he was missing from Maharashtra where the farmers really need him, in our newspaper Saamna. I think many people from Maharashtra have come to Delhi to support Anna's protest. They must have seen Rahul and informed him about the advertisement, which probably inspired him to visit Pune," Raut said.u00a0
The Saamna ad described Rahul Gandhi's appearance, the kind of clothes he wears and his habits along with his photograph. It profiled him, saying that 'he speaks out of context, gets stuck in controversies and has an eccentric urge to stay in a Dalit's or farmer's shanty once in a while'.
"Is there any difference between farmers of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra? Rahul visited Bhatta Parsaul in Uttar Pradesh the very next day after there was violence, while he remains missing from Pune in Maharashtra for nine days. Justice-deprived and torture-ridden farmers kept awaiting this 'messiah' eagerly," Raut said.
It may be recalled that Shiv Sena has always been critical of Rahul Gandhi. Once Bal Thackeray had called Rahul Gandhi, a 'frustrated bachelor' in Saamna.
"The prince of the Congress party has lost his mental balance because he is still single despite his advancing age... he has insulted the Marathi people and Maharashtra in his frustration," the editorial had said.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury yesterday rebutted suggestions that Rahul Gandhi was silent on the Anna Hazare issue.
"He (Rahul), too, is entitled to Freedom of Expression. He will speak when he will feel like it. He is not a parrot," she said at the AICC briefing when asked why the party general secretary was silent on the recent developments involving Hazare.
'Set him free'
It was reported that the government decided to release Anna Hazare from Tihar jail at the intervention of Rahul Gandhi. The decision came after a meeting between Rahul and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The talks between the two were held soon after a meeting of the central election committee (CEC) for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections at 7, Race Course Road. The sudden decision to release Hazare was reportedly prompted by two main factors: one, its apprehension that the popular upsurge against his arrest could pose a law and order problem that it had at the outset sought to avoid by arresting him before he undertook his fast and two, its effort to get Parliament to get to function once again after it was disrupted on the issue. Sources said the PM, Rahul and other members of the panel named by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to look after day-to-day affairs in her absence were part of the decision.
