A tale of two rallies in Madhya Pradesh | N.D.Sharma

Published on 01-10-2008 In General

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A tale of two rallies in Madhya Pradesh

Uma Bharati never ceases to spring surprises. When the political pundits had written her off politically and the BJP had started considering her only a minor irritant in the forthcoming Assembly elections, she dazzled every one by holding a massive rally in Bhopal. The only rally of a similar magnitude organised during the past several yeas was that of Mayawati held in January this year.

Two days later, the BJP also held a rally which was attended by the party's top leaders including its national president Rajnath Singh, prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani, Murali Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj. It was held at the jamboree Maidan on the Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) premises. Uma Bharati held her meeting at Lal Parade Ground, which is the biggest ground inside the city.

The BJP had planned its rally several weeks ago and was going about the preparations routinely. However, Uma Bharati's unexpected show of strength literally jolted the ruling party. Frantic calls went to the district party leaders to bring the largest number of people to Bhopal. The government machinery was to help them.

The people in Uma Bharati's rally came, as it was so obvious, on their own, attracted by her personal charisma. She does not even have a viable organisation. Some capable BJP leaders had joined her when she launched her Bharatiya Jana Shakti (BJS). Most of them were disenchanted with her because of her tantrums and indecisiveness before the BJS was two years old and they went back to the parent organisation.

To prove that the BJP rally had outdone Uma Bharati's became a ridiculous obsession with the BJP leaders. The prime ministerial candidate asked State BJP chief Narendra Singh Tomar if he had counted the numbers, and Tomar said, yes, it was 3,70,738. However, the difference in the quality of the two audiences could not be missed

The people were most of the time inattentive at the BJP meeting and had started leaving when Advani was speaking. In the other meeting, the audience heard Uma Bharati with rapt attention till the end. A major reason perhaps was that the BJP top leaders, Rajnath Singh, Advani, Joshi and Swaraj, did not say anything about the State but harped on the issues which were not germane to the State or the coming Assembly elections.

Their speeches centred round the Rath Yatras undertaken by Advani and Joshi, the growth of the BJP, the Centre's refusal to hang Afzal Guru, the obstacles in curbing terrorism in the absence of a POTA-like law, the harmful effects of the India-US nuclear deal on the country and what happened in Kashmir during the Shrine Board land controversy agitation.

Uma Bharati, on the other hand, touched the hearts of her listeners by talking to them about the problems they were facing every day: the rampant corruption at every level of the government; steadily deteriorating law and order situation; a feeling of insecurity among the people, particularly women and Dalits; lack of drinking water; non-supply of electricity; and the government's criminal lack of concern at the deaths of children from malnutrition, malaria, dengue and other diseases.

The difference in quality of the two audiences was seen in yet another way also. Those who had come for Uma Bharati's rally – and they had come from far off places --- had gone back after the rally without leaving behind a talking point. Those who had come for the BJP rally – they had also come from all over the State – left behind a huge litter of the leftovers of eatables spread over the venue of the public meeting, its stink wafting to the nearby houses of the BHEL employees; pick-pockets had a field day; while leaving, some of the BJP activists were reported to have carried away with them the blankets and covers supplied to them at the AC coaches of the Bhopal-Rewa Express.

Uma Bharati was in high spirits. Apart from blasting the State government for its lapses which she did without mentioning the names of the State leaders, she devoted considerable time on debunking Advani's aspiration to become the prime minister. Advani took the name of Ram only to fool the people whereas he was an admirer of Jinnah. He could never become the prime minister, she said, as he did not have a mass base.

In contrast, Advani appeared in low spirits which disappointed not only the party workers but also reporters who always hope for a good copy when Advani is speaking. Was it because of the scathing attack on him two days earlier by Uma Bharati whom he had defended so often and so assiduously from the onslaughts of her detractors within the party?

The two rallies held within 48 hours of each other have enlivened to some extent the hitherto dull election atmosphere. Those who had dismissed Uma Bharati and her disintegrating political outfit as of no consequence in the coming Assembly elections are now trying to re-assess her electoral appeal. The suggestion that Uma Bharati may become the chief minister once again after the elections was till now received with derision. That Uma Bharati may form the government either on the strength of her own MLAs or with the support of other non-BJP, non-Congress parties is no more a laughing matter in political circles.

The BJP is feeling the jitters, mainly on two counts. Shivraj Singh Chauhan has effected an unusually large number of transfers to have trusted bureaucrats at key positions all over the State to help the ruling party in the elections. Uma Bharati's show of popularity and the possibility of her returning to power has created panic among the bureaucrats, some of whom had tasted her temper during her brief stint as chief minister after the 2003 elections.

Another cause of worry for the BJP is Uma Bharati's announcement that she will put forward candidates in all 230 seats. The BJP cannot afford to accommodate all the sitting MLAs and those who are denied the ticket are likely to join Uma Bharati. Even if they are not able to win, they may poll votes sufficient to defeat the BJP's official candidates. That will serve Uma Bharati's purpose. She talks more of ensuring the BJP's defeat than getting herself into power now. The election scene is likely to hot up in the coming days.

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