The Hindu : POLL-POURRI

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 16, 2004

National

National - Elections 2004

POLL-POURRI

The `gur-fail' factor

"It is gur (jaggery)-fail, not feel-good for sugarcane growers who have not been paid their dues," was what the Bharatiya Kisan Union leader, Mahendra Singh Tikait, had to say about the "feel good factor." There was no electricity in his village, Sisoli in Muzaffarnagar district, even at 8 p.m. but that did not deter him from offering traditional hospitality. It was quite an experience to be served dinner in semi-darkness by the women of the family, their faces covered before the patriarch. "Even our school-going daughters cover their heads with dupattas in school. Bauji (Mr. Tikait) likes it that way. He does not allow them to watch television. Whenever he comes into the room, we switch it off," his eldest daughter-in-law, said.

India in villages

Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, had an unusual visitor this past week. The British High Commissioner to India, Michael Anthony Arthur, toured Amethi and was struck by the rich farmlands and the level of awareness among the villagers. He turned up at "Bhupati Bhavan," the palace of Sanjay Singh, former Union Minister and scion of the royal family of Amethi, who recently joined the Congress. "Without understanding villages, how can you understand the real India?," he was quoted as saying.

In the name of god

Wooed by all but cared for by none. This seems to be the story of tribal voters in Madhya Pradesh. After this group made a decisive difference in dislodging the Congress Government in the State, the little-known Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP) is burning the midnight oil to rope in the tribal population in its favour. Not having been able to make much impact in the Panchayat and Assembly elections, this time round the GGP is trying to exploit the tribal population in the name of religion. The GGP is organising religious discourses where the tribal people are told that their deity is "Bada Dev" who has got nothing to do with Lord Shiva as is being preached by Hindu organisations working in the tribal belt.

Identity crisis

The Andhra Pradesh BJP president, N. Indrasena Reddy, has demanded that a professor of Kakatiya University undergo a DNA test to prove his "credentials." K. Venkata Narayan had claimed that the actress and BJP Mahila Morcha's national vice-president, Vijayashanti, did not hail from Telangana. "Let him prove his credentials," Mr. Reddy said in Hyderabad and suggested that the economics professor undergo a DNA test. A controversy is being created over the nativity of Vijayashanti as the prospect of the BJP fielding her for the Lok Sabha from the Telangana region has rattled the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. Some TRS leaders reportedly met her in Chennai to dissuade her from contesting the elections.

Blessing in disguise

Make hay while the `fire' shines. Even a tragedy is seen as a godsend for the netas (leaders). They are only too eager to demonstrate their concern for the common man during the elections. Over 80 thatched houses were reduced to ashes in a fire at Vuyyur, 30 km from Vijayawada, a couple of days ago. While the fire kindled hope among aspirants of different political parties for a ticket, their scramble to cash in on the tragedy created tension. The netas descended on the site in droves. After the usual expression of sympathies, the leaders wanted to provide free food to the families. However, a brawl ensued as every leader wanted to elbow aside his rival in the race for providing free food.

Gargi Parsai, Vinay Kumar, Aarti Dhar, Y. Mallikarjun, R. Balaji

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