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Saturday, Feb 10, 2007
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Stakes high in Amritsar

K.V. Prasad

Leaders turn out to bat for BJP, Congress candidates

If turnout is an indication, we will sweep polls: Jaitley We put development works on the rails: Singla

— Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

SHOW OF SOLIDARITY: (From left) Akali Dal general secretery Sukhbir Singh Badal, Indian National Lok Dal chief Om Prakash Chautala, BJP leader Arun Jaitley, BJP contestant from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu and Akali Dal leader Raj Mahinder Singh Majeethia at an election rally in Majeetha on Friday.

AMRITSAR: The campaign script of the rivals in the Amristar Lok Sabha by-election has a bit of everything: politics, economics, sport and emotion. That the stakes are high for the ruling Congress as well as the rival Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiromani Akali Dal alliance can be gauged from the fact that senior leaders have made it a point to canvass votes for their candidates, Surinder Singla and Navjot Singh Sidhu, both hailing from Patiala.

On Friday Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh turned out to bat for his Finance Minister Mr. Singla, addressing a series of meetings in various Assembly segments. In the other camp, the former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, the former Union Minister Arun Jaitley, and SAD leader and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal fielded for Mr. Sidhu of the BJP, whose resignation of the seat following his conviction in a road rage death case led to the vacancy and the election.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi addressed a rally here, as did the BJP's L.K. Advani.

On Friday, Majitha, a town 20 km from here, was the focus of attention for the rival parties with leaders addressing public rallies, seen as a barometer of the voters' mood.

The turnout in this Assembly constituency is far greater than the gathering at the Prime Minister's rally for several constituencies here this week, Mr. Jaitley said. If the response to the Prime Minister's rally was any indication, the verdict of the February 13 Assembly elections was already out: a sweep for the SAD-BJP combine, he claimed.

Mr. Sukhbir Badal was more enthusiastic. He said the results on February 27 would be "astounding and surpassing all expectations."

Mr. Sidhu was his usual boisterous self. Mr. Chautala spoke of the Congress' "anti-farmer" policies and reminded people of how he along with the former Chief Ministers, N. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh and Parkash Singh Badal of Punjab, got the best deal for farmers during the National Democratic Alliance regime at the Centre, something the Amarinder Singh Government "failed" to do.

Yet somewhere both Mr. Sukhbir Badal and Mr. Sindhu appeared to be on the back foot. The SAD leader promised a "world-class cricket stadium," which would enable the people to watch an India-Pakistan match.

The combine "is clearly seeking to usurp the promise made by me, aware that the offer has struck a chord with youth," Mr. Singla said. He also promised metro rail and acceleration of development projects in the constituency.

Both Mr. Singla and Mr. Sidhu have been trading charges. If Mr. Sidhu approaches the people in his sing-song style, complete with mannerisms that evoke peals of laughter and rounds of applause, Mr. Singla rolls out a worksheet of the Amarinder Singh Government, whose dexterous handling of resources put development works on the rails, with funds still left in the treasury.

The Chief Minister himself underscores this point.

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