Outside Haryana, in the entire
world, he is better known as the prime accused in the Geetika Sharma suicide
case but on home turf here, Gopal Goyal Kanda has acquired a politico-religious
image.
A local dera chief gave his
“gaddi” (seat) to Kanda sometime ago, bringing about the halo of a god fearing
religious man who follows the moral conduct strictly. The dera had a
considerable following in the area and overnight Kanda’s image was transformed.
Emboldened by the grant of the gaddi and the accompanying support, the 49-year
old Kanda, the sitting MLA has gone aggressive. “I have been a victim of
political conspiracy. Both the INLD and the Congress are against me,” he says
about the abetment of suicide charges against him.
Local people recall that in the
run-up to the Assembly polls and just before the Model Code of Conduct, he
lined up one religious function after the other by inviting saints and sadhvis
from Mathura , Vrindavan, Ujjain
and Uttarakhand. “Entire town used to congregate as they were held on a grand
scale, never seen in the town before,” said Rattan Singh, a school teacher
living in Ratanpura colony in the constituency. Electronic gadgets were used to
mesmerise the people on such occasions and event management experts were called
from the metropolitan cities for a lasting impression.
The efforts of Kanda have paid
and he has been able to ward off the charges in people’s perception at least in
his home turf. “People do vaguely remember the case but they do not judge him
on that. He has a larger than life image here,” added Rattan Singh. After being
in jail for several months, Kanda is currently out on bail in the Geetika
Sharma suicide case. As an Independent MLA, he supported Congress in 2009 after
the party was reduced to 40 seats in the 90-member Assembly and helped
Bhupinder Singh Hooda form Government. Rewarded with a ministerial berth and
that too of the Home Department, Kanda was known for his high handedness before
he was booked in the Geetika suicide case.
When Kanda was in Delhi ’s
Tihar Jail, his brother Govind Kanda helped him recoup. After being bailed out,
the former owner of MDLR Airlines and a moneybag, owning several companies,
effectively used various religious functions to bounce back not only in Sirsa
but also the neighbouring areas. Buoyed by the exercise, Kanda formed Haryana
Lokhit Party (HLP), has fielded 73 candidates in the assembly polls and now
claims that no Government in Haryana can be formed after October 15 without his
support. “There is a five-cornered contest in Haryana. Our party is in a very
good position,” he says, unperturbed about the controversy surrounding him. He
avoids any mention of the Geetika suicide case but whenever it crops up, he
ducks the issue completely and blames political rivals. His supporters add
business rivals too for the abetment case.
“Some from the older generation
may not believe his version. But the young swear by him due to his
rags to riches story…Of his success from the owner of a shoe shop to a multi
billionaire in a short span of time. Also, the constituency has no complaint
against him as he has done so much,” said Anup Gupta, owner of a tea stall in
Gandhi Colony. Gupta, who flies the Kite symbol of HLP on his shop and is a
hard core supporter of Kanda, says, the local hero was falsely implicated.
Kanda himself has vision for
women empowerment if his party is voted to power. He plans to open Women
colleges on a large scale and has a women’s wing of his party. His wife
Saraswati Kanda too is actively involved in party work. His slogan—“Vyapari,
Majdoor aur Kisan, Halopa sarkar me pure honge sabke arman” (In HLP government,
the wishes of traders, workers and farmers would be fulfilled) is being
popularised through a variety of mediums.
Some in the constituency say that
the jail term came as a blessing in disguise for Kanda as it has created a
sympathy factor. “He has been wronged,” Gupta said.
With his supporters raising the
pitch, Kanda is unstoppable and talks what the party would do when it forms the
next government. “In HLP government, farmers would determine the price of their
produce…If farmer is not happy, industry or business cannot prosper…Employment
to youth, formation of special economic zones…everything is on the agenda,” he
says in the campaign. (October 11,
2013 )
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