Cong tries all tricks to make Sonia rally a success

Amitabh Shukla

New Delhi, March 7

The Congress MLAs and the councilors are having a tough time these days. They are burning midnight oil and working overtime to make arrangements for getting a big crowd at Ramlila Maidan where party President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would address a rally on Sunday.

“I have been asked to bring 15 buses full of Congress workers for the rally,” said a Congress MLA from Outer Delhi. In fact, all the 47 MLAs have been asked to bring 15 bus load of workers each for the rally. The Congress councilors, however, will have to bring only 7 buses each for the rally. Moreover, each Block Congress President too has been asked to come with at least 5 bus load of workers.

A Minister in the Delhi government said: “This is an election year and we have to go by the dictates of the party, more so when the party president and the Prime Minister are addressing a rally”. He said the party has to give a befitting reply to the BSP rally after gifting a “people friendly” budget.

Vijay Locchav, a two-time MLA from Mahipalpur, claimed that the MLAs merely facilitate the movement of the people who want to see their beloved leaders. “My constituency has farmers and middle class who have befitted from the budget. They will be at the rally venue on their own,” the MLA said.

Some of the MLAs, however, are exception to this rule. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is not expected to bring any buses for the rally. “She represents an area where government servants live. Moreover, she has overall responsibility of making all arrangements,” said a Delhi Congress leader. DPCC office-bearers said a close watch would be mounted on the number of vehicles each MLA or councilor brings and it would be taken up “seriously” if the direction is not followed.

Apart from “arranging” the crowd, 10 different committees have been formed to supervise the rally and make it a success. Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf is in-charge of the Committee on Transport while Industry Minister Mangat Ram Singhal is in charge of the committee on outside decoration and public seating arrangement. MCD leader J.K. Sharma is in-charge of the water and sanitation committee while PWD minister Raj Kumar Chauhan has the charge of the inside decoration. The committee on Health and first aid is headed by Health Minister Yoganand Shastri. MLA Anil Bhardwaj has the responsibility of tent, mike and the stage.

(2008)