Pollpourri: A cold cut

Much was expected from yesterday's Sonia Gandhi rally at Ramlila Maidan. But it failed to raise the mercury

Pollpourri: A cold cut

The much-awaited Lok Sabha poll rally of Congress President Sonia Gandhi in Delhi, held at the Ramlila Maidan on Wednesday, was a dry affair.

It was the first rally the leader was addressing just before Delhi goes to poll on May 7 and expectations were running high. But the rally fell short both on supporter strength and enthusiasm.

Call it the effect of shoe-ism or security concern, the podium had been erected about 50 metres away from the first audience ring, where media representatives were seated. Party supporters had been pushed back even further, from where the leaders were barely visible.

With Gandhi, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and the seven Congress candidates contesting from the national capital present, security was water-tight, especially around the media section.

All eyes were on shoes. A security guard even joked, "Don't even mention the word shoe here."

The speech

Gandhi was an hour late but once she began speaking, her supporters fell silent. As expected, she pulled punches at the Bharatiya Janata Party. She said that people still remembered the saffron party's track record in fighting the scourge during the NDA rule.

"Those leaders (of BJP) who are talking about (strong action against) terrorism, I think they should introspect about what happened during their rule. People will not forget that," Gandhi said, referring to the Kandahar incident.

"Having sacrificed leaders like Indiraji and Rajivji to terrorism, we don't require any certificate from anyone to prove our stand against terrorism," she said.

While Gandhi and Dikshit left the venue immediately after the party president's speech, the seven Congress candidates contesting from various constituencies in Delhi stayed back to interact with supporters.

Dikshit's goof-up
While introducing the seven Congress candidates from Delhi, Sheila Dikshit almost forgot to mention Ajay Maken. After a few seconds and nudges from other speakers on the podium, she added, "Aur Ajay Makenji, mere hi constituency New Delhi se hai (and here's Ajay Maken who represents my constituency New Delhi)." Keeping in mind the tumultuous relationship the two leaders share, can we say the oversight was intentional?

What else Gandhi said
Manmohan effect: Gandhi referred to the achievements of her party in the educational sector saying that no non-Congress government had ever set up so many educational institutions. Hailing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she said, "We have given the responsibility of the UPA government to an eminent economist and scholar who has efficiently tackled all the challenges."
Support for Delhi's seven Gandhi sought support for the seven candidates from Delhi. Terming the national capital as the "heart of the country", Gandhi said the residents had "thwarted all attempts" to dislodge Congress in the recently-held Assembly elections and voted it back to power for the record third term. "I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart," she said.

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