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A moment they will cherish

KORAPUT: It was the rarest moment for the 30-odd tribal families from Kondh community when they had Rahul Gandhi, general secretary, AICC, in Kondh Pungar village under Pottangi police station area on Saturday night . Even though they had the information from officials of Gram Vikash, the NGO working in the village in the field of sanitation that ‘some high-ranking personality’ was to arrive in their village, they had never dreamt of having Rahul Gandhi in their midst, Siguru Hantal, an excited youth from the village said.

Rahul stayed for more than three hours in the village before leaving them at 11 PM , he added. While people from Paraja Pungar, the neighbouring village, at first had thought the seven-member team with a group of armed SPG personnel to be naxalites and gathered to attack them but were pleased later to see the caring personality of the charismatic leader, Biswanath Hantal, another villager said.

The villagers had prepared a lot many things for him including rice, chicken and roti for Rahul and his team . But to everyone’s surprise Rahul preferred to take only a bowl of ragi paste that was prepared by tribal women of the village.

He talked to the members of Sumi Dei SHG and enquired whether they were been able to repay the loans they had taken from banks. He enquired on the challenges and opportunities that the people faced in their village and advised everyone to stop drinking liquor.

The better half of the time he spent with the villagers discussing the possible impact of mining and displacement in the region. He also took the opinion of people on different models of acquisition of land that were practised in other parts of the country, the villagers added.

Whether or not Rahul would visit them again to see the impact of his words on them, the signature that he had put on them would be a treasure for the villagers , Biswanath said .

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