BJP crowd-puller eclipses Cong Mahapanchayat

NEW DELHI: Congress might be hoping to neutralise the anti-incumbency factor and the inflation issue with its announcements to regularise unauthorised colonies during the Assembly elections, but poor attendance at the Mahapanchayat organised by Hastsal MLA Mukesh Sharma and the fact that senior party leaders chose to stay away — coupled with BJP’s star-studded rally with its impressive turnout — boded ill for the party’s hopes of riding the unauthorised colonies bandwagon.

While at the Congress gathering the only senior leader present was Outer Delhi MP Sajjan Kumar, the BJP rally called by former Union minister Vijay Goel saw leader of the opposition in Parliament L K Advani, BJP national president Rajnath Singh, south Delhi MP V K Malhotra, state unit chief Harshvardhan and other senior leaders lambast the Sheila government on its claims of regularisation of unauthorised colonies and take the battle right into the UPA court with Advani launching a scathing attack on the central government in what was clearly sounding the poll bugle ahead of the elections later this year.

The BJP rally at Ramlila Maidan with its 40,000-odd turnout was a thumping success compared to Congress’s 2,000-odd at Jantar Mantar. The latter had been convened at a 72-hour notice to allay fears of Congressmen that BJP’s rally would steal the credit that was ‘‘rightfully’’ theirs. The BJP brigade came down on the Dikshit government highlighting its failures on all fronts. Huge hoardings dotting the venue said: ‘Mehnga Bijli, Tej Bhagti Meter, Paani Ki Killat. Dilliwasion Ke Saath Shiela Ka Dhokha’ (expensive power, fast running electricity meters, water scarcity. Sheila has only cheated Delhiites). Goel alleged that the Sheila government could not keep any of its promises. ‘‘What happened to the issue of full statehood to Delhi?’’ adding that on all fronts of providing basic facilities to people, the government has failed miserably.

Targeting the Congress government, BJP’s Delhi unit chief Dr Harsvardhan said that people living in unauthorised colonies had the right to ask the government why it failed to construct roads, open schools and lay water pipelines even when it stayed in power for 10 years. ‘‘We don’t want to know what they wish to do in next five years, but what they have done in the past decade,’’ he said.

Moreover, accusing the chief minister and Union urban development minister Ajay Maken of cheating Delhiites, South Delhi MP Malhotra said the city government was resorting to advertisements to cover up its inefficiency.
‘‘By distributing forms, you don’t regularise unauthorised colonies. Plans have to be prepared, public facilities have to be laid and then only regularisation can happen. Congress governments at Delhi and Centre have done nothing like that,’’ Malhotra said. Indicating how BJP will take up the issue of development in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, BJP Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani said the development taking place in Gujarat proves the point that BJP rule can bring the best to people.

The Mahapanchayat too assumed political hues with the focus shifting from the tomtomming of Congress’s regularisation largesse to a discussion of BJP’s shortcomings. Speakers criticised the BJP for levying development charges of Rs 3,200 per square yard and thanked the central government for regularising the colonies. An effigy of BJP was burnt at the rally that resounded with cries of ‘‘Bhajpa ka Nash Ho (down with BJP)’’.

Source : Times Of India