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After a successful road show in the slum areas of Kalkaji this week, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi held his first rally in north-east Delhi’s Seelampur area - home to a large minority population - on Thursday.
Appearing in his trademark kurta and jeans, Gandhi made it a point to attack both the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), terming both parties ‘opportunists’.
When Gandhi hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-touted ‘Swacch Bharat’ mission, it resonated with the crowd: “You asked for employment, you wanted a curb on inflation, he (Modi) gave you a broom and said start cleaning.”
Despite the fact that the Congress managed to poll in the minority vote in the December 2013 Assembly elections, a large section of the minority vote bank switched over to the AAP in the Parliamentary elections.
Under the current circumstances, the Congress is finding tough to retain the minority vote bank. The party is desperate to improve its present tally of eight seats.
The audience responded in one voice when Gandhi asked them, “Have any of you received even 15 paise of the promised Rs 15 lakh that Modi had promised to put in our bank account by bringing back black money ?”
Alluding that Modi only panders to the wealthy, he said: “You didn’t get Rs 15 lakh, but Modiji wore a Rs 15-lakh suit!”. The crowd received this remark with a loud applause.
Trying to bring home the dangers of the BJP’s “attack on secularism”, Gandhi spoke about the recent riots at Trilokpuri. He said it was the aim of both the BJP and AAP to weaken the Congress and, thus, wipe out a space for minorities in the country.
He asserted that the Congress was distinct from the BJP, which would “favour only a handful of industrialists”. Saying “the Congress stands by the poor,” he promised the poor his party would give them the right to having a home of their own.
“No one is representing the poor,” said Gandhi. “What have the people got? They (BJP-led government at the Centre) signed a deal. If there is any problem with a nuclear power plant in India, then American companies won't have to pay - Indian government will have to pay.”
While the audience was receptive, most were still weighing in their options. A group of housewives from the neighbourhood, who had trooped into hear Gandhi’s speech, told Business Standard: “Last time we had voted for AAP, but he (AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal) betrayed us and ran away. This time around, we are yet to make up our minds - let’s see. We like what Rahul Gandhi said, but we’ll hear others as well, before we decide.”
That the area around Seelampur got an engineering college, a hospital and a Metro station under the Congress’ three-term rule in Delhi was a point Congress leaders kept reminding the voters.
Delhi Congress leaders had worked hard to ensure Gandhi’s rally become a success with MLAs of all neighbouring constituencies in the north-east district - Karawal Nagar, Gandhinagar, Mustafabad - chipping in. Sitting Congress MLA Chaudhary Mateen Ahmed along with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Arvinder Singh Lovely, senior leader Haroon Yusuf, and campaign committee chief Ajay Maken were on the stage; so was former PCC chief J P Aggarwal.
