Karnataka - Mysore   

Rally not a huge success in Mysore

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Gathering:A Congress activist dressed as a vulture at the Naada Rakshana Rally in Mysore on Sunday.

MYSORE: Political rallies tend to often throw up interesting sidelights and the Naada Rakshana Rally of the Congress was no exception.

The Congress leaders had claimed that one lakh workers from eight districts in the Mysore division would attend the rally, which was held in the city on Sunday. But the numbers were far less.

Though the front rows had been occupied, a view from the rear side of the venue projected a different picture.

Photographers and videographers hastened to take snaps of the rows of empty seats even as they were urged not to by the party supporters. At one point, tempers ran high when a cameraman insisted on shooting.

Delayed start

The rally was scheduled to commence at 11 a.m., but the venue was empty till noon. It was only around quarter past noon that bus loads from different taluks started converging around the Maharaja's College Grounds. When the programme finally commenced, it had been delayed by almost two hours and nearing lunchtime. Even as Congress workers and supporters started trooping in large numbers around 1 p.m., a large number of people started leaving the venue for lunch. Hence many rows of seats remained vacant. When the former Union Minister B. Janardhan Poojary began his speech, one could easily assume he was attacking his own colleagues. He chided the Union Ministers from the State for not doing enough to highlight the failure of the BJP Government.

But he soon shifted tracks and was focused on attacking the BJP Government.

The former Union Minister C.M. Ibrahim received a loud roar of applause when it was his turn to speak.

True to his reputation and form, he regaled the crowd with vachanas and proverbs and laced his speech with pun that went down well with the audience, largely rural in composition.

The launch of the Naada Rakshana Rally was preceded by a scooter rally to spread public awareness on Saturday.

It was followed by a tonga ride by Mr. Siddaramaiah and others who were astride a sarot or a decorated tonga. Accompanying them were artistes attired in drama costumes that caught the attention of the public.

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