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We run government for common man: Rahul

Siddhesh Inamdar

— Photo: Vivek Bendre

AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi with Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan at an election rally at Panvel on Thursday.

PUNE: “It was the poor of this country who packed off the British. If India is progressing, it’s because of the poor. We will work for the poor until there is not a single poor person left in the country,” Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi said at an election meeting here on Thursday.

Emphasising the party’s slogan, Congress ka haath aam aadmi ke saath, Mr. Gandhi said, “Unlike our opponents whose ideology is ‘India Shining’ and who believe in running a government for a select few, we run a government for the common people.”

Earlier, as he arrived, people scattered across St. Vincent’s school playground — venue of the meeting — held aloft the party plag and waved back at him as vigorously as he gestured to them. A Congress leader asked them to “come closer to the stage and seize the opportunity to see Rahulji from close quarters.”

For the next five minutes, Mr. Gandhi educated the gathering on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Right to Information Act, and the good done by the Rs.7,000-crore farm loan waiver in Maharashtra.

Mr. Gandhi tried to strike an emotional chord with the people of Pune, reminding them that he campaigned for the Congress-NCP alliance in the city even during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year.

At the end of his speech, Mr. Gandhi apologised to the people for coming five hours late.

The reason for revising the arrival time twice, from 12 noon to 1 p.m. and then to 4 p.m. (he finally reached the venue at 6 p.m), was that “he did not want to disturb the students of the school.”

Earlier, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who was mistakenly introduced by a Congressman as Vilasrao Deshmukh (Mr. Chavan’s predecessor) said, “Rahulji has created magic in Uttar Pradesh. We look to him for inspiration.”

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