Sheila caught on the 'wrong foot'

Delhi CM was inspecting arrangements at the Congress Committee plenary in the Delhi, but reportedly couldn't keep track of her shoes

Delhi CM was inspecting arrangements at the Congress Committee plenary in the Delhi, but reportedly couldn't keep track of her shoes

Nothing that happens in Delhi can escape her gaze. But on Sunday, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had to 'cool her heels' a bit after reportedly losing her sandals at the Congress party's 83rd plenary session in the Capital. According to sources, following the customary exchanges at the congregation, Sheila went on stage after taking off her sandals. But when she came down, her footwear was missing.

What are the chances! Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan and
Sheila Dikshit at the meet in New Delhi on Sunday. Pic/Imtiyaz Khan

"We found her searching for her shoes. It is possible that someone wore her sandals by mistake," said a Delhi Congress leader.

Setting the stage
At the plenary organised by Delhi Congress, Sheila was highly active and was seen going on and off the stage several times.

"The Delhi Chief Minister was one of the first to arrive at the function to inspect the arrangements and take a final look at everything. Every time while going up on the podium, she was supposed to take off her sandals. She went on the dais on several occasions before the arrival of other senior dignitaries. She herself checked the minute details including the microphones.
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The incident occurred before the arrival of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi. It is also possible that she took off her footwear somewhere else and forgot about them," said a staff of AICC.

However, later, Sheila was seen wearing a pair of brown shoes. "She must have had spare shoes in her vehicle or she arranged for a new pair," said a source. Sheila and her close associates were unavailable for comment despite repeated requests.

'Heeling' touch
Sheila's fate was also reportedly shared by former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar. A Congress source however said the Chief Minister later recovered her shoes, but from a different location.

Many leaders were also seen roaming around without their shoes in the designated area as the grounds had very good carpeting. This reporter observed that instead of taking them off again and again, many leaders placed their shoes near the stairs of the podium. As many cabinet ministers and senior leaders were sitting in front of the stage on sofas, leaders sitting on the dais would come down there to speak with them, often barefoot.

Trivia

Delhi is hosting the plenary after 32 years. This is the party's 83rd plenary with the last such meeting having been held in Hyderabad in 2006. Delhi Congress chief JP Agarwal, who heads the reception committee, said that at least 20,000 people will take part in the plenary.

Management problems

Unsound system
While the first few lines of the opening song Vande Mataram were being recited, the sound system produced noises resembling gunfire which created panic in the surrounds. Some participants were seen trying to escape from the place.
'Double-talk'
The microphones developed snags twice in the middle of speeches of senior Congress leaders. When the problem occurred a third time, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit came to the sound system organisers and scolded them. It was ten more minutes before the speaker who was on stage could resume his speech. According to sources, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda could not address the gathering because of the delays.
'Loos' cannon
Apart from that, the leaders who had thronged the Burari venue faced problems while relieving themselves as there was just one toilet available and that too unhygienic. "The toilet is so dirty that it is difficult to go in and urinate," a Congress politician said.
Chaos and confusion
Union minister Mukul Wasnik, the Congress general secretary in charge of Bihar, was heckled, with some leaders from the state, where the party recently faced a humiliating electoral defeat, accusing him of "selling" the assembly elections tickets. "He is a thief, he sold off tickets in Bihar," two women delegates from Bihar shouted as Wasnik stood up on the dais to fix a dysfunctional sound system. Soon the women party leaders were joined by few more others and the commotion led to chaos at the venue.

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'Stay rooted'

The growing perception that ministers have grown remote and arrogant in office on Sunday prompted Sonia Gandhi to stress the need to improve dialogue between the leadership and the grassroot workers.
"I am only aware of how much work we need to do in some states. The recent election in Bihar has demonstrated that there is no alternative to earnestly beginning the process of reviving the party organisation from the grassroots. The party has to be rooted to the ground. The road ahead will be long and arduous but we will persevere and we will succeed," Sonia said in her inaugural address at the 83rd plenary of the party.
She stressed that the first and foremost duty of the party's office holders is to "listen" to the party workers. This is because the "ordinary workers" are the party's "ears" to "the ground realities". The recent debacle in Bihar, where the party's tally of seats reduced from nine in the pervious assembly to four in the current one, is indicative of this disjoint between the party's grassroot workers and its leadership.