Gujarat, HP, MP- Election 2007 - 3

[ramana]

Hindu reports

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> Congress short on confidence in north Gujarat

Manas Dasgupta


Congress hopes to cash in on the issue of price rise

<b>“Keshubhai is Congress’ strength”</b>

MEHSANA (North Gujarat): A few youth workers were arguing among themselves at the district Congress office in Mehsana, nerve centre of north Gujarat. One of them said, “When I went to Kherao village, the local people told me that the BJP government has constructed five checkdams.”

“Didn’t you tell them that the construction was so poor that the checkdams have already developed cracks,” asked another.

“Yes, I did. But the reaction was even more stunning. The villagers said: True, cracks have developed. But at least the checkdams are there, constructed by Modiji [Chief Minister Narendra Modi]. When your party was in power, it did not construct even one checkdam to save our crops in the post-monsoon season.”

A few metres away, district Congress president Chunaji Thakore, conversing with journalists, said: “This time our party is going to win all seven seats in Mehsana district.” A quick glance at the party workers sitting around convinced him that it was too tall a claim. “Ok, if not all the seven, we will win at least five seats,” Mr. Thakore said. He is not prepared to climb down further, at least not before the journalists.

Summing up the lack of conviction among both the youth workers and the district president to counter the Modi juggernaut at least in the BJP-stronghold of north Gujarat, <b>another senior leader said: “On its own, the Congress cannot win any seat in Mehsana district, and for that matter in the entire north Gujarat. But this time our strength is Keshubhai Patel [the veteran BJP dissident leader and former Chief Minister].”</b>

Amrut Patel, district unit secretary and vice-president of the Visnagar taluk unit, said: <b>“If Keshubhai swings just about 10 per cent of the Patel votes against Mr. Modi’s candidates, we will be through in about a dozen constituencies in the region.”</b>

This is the level of confidence among Congress leaders in Mehsana, where just about three months ago party president Sonia Gandhi addressed a successful rally attended by over three lakh farmers. Her public meeting last week in Patan was equally impressive but the local leaders are not very enthusiastic. “It still does not mean that it will substantially tilt the balance in north Gujarat,” a party leader said.

The Congress is counting on price rise to work to its advantage. But will not this issue go against the party, which is in power at the Centre, and hence responsible for price rise on many counts? “That may be partly true in urban areas, but <b>the people in villages hold the State government responsible for every thing, good for bad,” Mr. Patel said.</b>

Particularly hitting the common people was the high price of groundnut oil. “Farmers understand that they were forced to sell groundnut at comparatively cheap rates but after that the Modi government has allowed oil mill owners to jack up prices to corner huge profits,” he said.

Not sure of impact

The Congress leaders are not sure what impact the Tehelka exposure on the 2002 Gujarat carnage, the Ram Sethu and other such issues have left on the riot-hit voters of north Gujarat.

<b>If the Congress is low in confidence, the BJP seems to be over-confident of the “Modi magic” sweeping the polls yet again.</b>

Barring Mr. Modi’s meetings, the BJP electioneering remained low key as most of the party leaders in north Gujarat districts did not even think that they had to campaign much.

“The Congress does not exist in this region and Keshubhai and his supporter, Dr. A.K. Patel, the former Union Minister, have no support base in the north,” a senior BJP leader said.

Narmada water supply

All other factors apart, the BJP leaders feel, the government’s endeavour of bringing Narmada waters through canals to the dry rivers in the north and supply of good potable water for the first time will itself tilt the balance in favour of their party.

<b>The allegations of corruption apart, the Sujalam Sufalam project has brought irrigation supply to many villages where sub-soil water has gone down alarmingly low.</b>

The BJP won 33 seats out of the 49 seats in the region at the height of the communal frenzy in 2002. In the previous two elections, its tally there was 39 and 35 seats.

The BJP district president, Keshubhai Patel, (not the dissident leader), however, cautions against complacency. “We have to be careful that our ‘feel-good’ campaign for Modiji does not boomerang on us, as did the ‘India shining’ slogan in the parliamentary elections.”
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->