By Nivedita Bhardwaj, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: As one approached the venue of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in east Delhi’s Karkardooma on Saturday evening, it had all the trappings of a typical political rally.
Banners and hoardings of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announcing the rally, party flags after every second power pole and big direction boards announcing ‘Parking for rally vehicles’ every once in a while. Almost half a kilometre before the actual venue, vehicles were stopped and scores of people were seen walking towards the rally ground. Buses parked along the footpaths and in service lanes were a clear indicator that people were brought for the rally.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a rally at Karkardooma on Saturday ahead of the February 7 assembly elections in Delhi. Also seen on stage is BJP president Amit Shah and party’s CM candidate Kiran Bedi.
Near the security check DFMDs, long rows of men, women and children neatly line up to enter the grounds. Two elderly men animatedly compared BJP and AAP and the manner in which claims of the Arvind Kejriwal led party were trashed, it was clear who they are going to vote on February 7.
With less than a week left for the campaign to end for the Delhi assembly polls for choosing 70 new MLAs, the BJP has started bringing out its heavy arsenal. After the ‘Obama’-break, Modi is back in the field addressing rallies, starting Saturday.
And this was clearly a rally where local BJP leaders had to show results. Empty seats at Modi’s Ramlila Maidan rally on January 11 had jolted the BJP out of slumber and a clear ‘perform or perish’ signal meant that the BJP leaders ensured full attendance for the Karkardooma rally. And the efforts showed. A policeman confirmed the crowd estimate that they were reporting to their bosses was 50,000.
The surging crowds – most of them wearing the saffron caps, rather a sea of saffron – erupted in shouts of ‘Modi Modi’ once in a while even as several craned their necks to catch a glimpse of BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi speak from a large stage – with an overdose of orange/saffron – at least 500 metre away. Bedi indulged in her usual platitudes including about safety of women. “On 7th February, when you go for voting, think you are voting for your sister, for your mother.”
The helicopter in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived for the BJP rally at Karkardooma in East Delhi on Saturday.
While there was no reason why the topic of safety of women should not echo with the gathering, but it appeared as though the loud cheers, waving of flags and occasional clapping were more for the crane-camera roving over the audience every now and then! The crowd went berserk every time the crane carrying the camera took aerial shots.
In the sea of humanity, conspicuous by absence were the people from minority community, defying a trend witnessed since 2013 during Modi’s rally. Even the flop show at Ramlila maidan had a sizable number of Muslims from neighouring Walled City areas.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, when the BJP had held a rally at Shashtri Park – in northeast Delhi – it too had seen a large number of Muslims from the neighbouring areas such as Seelampur and Khajuri Khas.
Saturday’s rally saw a negligible number of Muslims – blink and you miss appearance. This correspondent spent almost three hours at the rally ground mixing with the common crowd but could see just 4-5 Muslims, identifiable from their skull caps, that too sitting or standing alone. In the run up to the general elections, party’s minority morcha worked over time to make sure that hordes of Muslims are seen in the crowd – visible in veil or skull caps. The crowd otherwise had representation from all economic strata.
The milling crowd at CBD grounds Karkardooma for the BJP’s rally at East Delhi addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
BJP president Amit Shah, who has been addressing at least two meetings per day across Delhi, too repeated most of the things that he had been saying at other rallies. He accused (Congress vice president) Rahul Gandhi of having an ‘Italian specs’ as he failed to see how “as against in Congress regime, when it was Pakistan that started the firing and Pakistan that ended it, the BJP regime has shown when there is a goli (firing) from Pakistan, India replies with a gola (more than tit-for-tat, bigger firing).”
By the time Shah had spoken for almost 10 minutes, it was already one hour late from the announced time for Modi’s arrival and the crowd had started getting restless. Just then the attention was diverted by the loud noise of helicopter blades signaling arrival of the Prime Minister.
“Good that he came by air, otherwise traffic on the Jumna paar roads towards this venue would have been a mess,” said an advocate, who had come in his usual black coat, clearly from the nearby Karkardooma court.
Another youth pointed out, “The helicopter ride will give him an idea of how we live here in congested areas. Hope he does something about it.”
Within minutes, Modi had taken stage. He was dressed in his usual Kurta-Pyajama draped in – guess what – bright orange shawl. Tens and thousands of smart phones were up in the air clicking photos and with many of them being shared on social networking sites immediately.
Modi minced no words to criticize AAP and its leaders. “Someone can fool people, tell white lies once in a while. But you cannot do it all the time,” he said clearly taking a barb at Kejriwal but not naming him.
With smart phones in hand, scores of supporters were seen clicking photos, taking selfies, recording – both audio and video – at the BJP rally in Karkardooma on Saturday.
He also invoked (US president Barack) Obama – “people would have criticized us if there would have been no worthwhile outcome”; Yamuna – “Yamuna can be pride of Delhi, but it is in bad condition today. All this can change”; 125 crore Indians – “when someone shakes hands with Modi today and looks into his eyes, it is not Modi but a reflection of Indian population” and of hope – “by India’s 75th Independence Day, all slums will be replaced by pucca houses.”
With all pre-poll surveys run by different television channels showing a clear AAP-BJP tie, the promise of “slums to be replaced by puuca houses” was clearly aimed at the very constituency that AAP is banking on.
After almost a year of President’s Rule, Delhi is set to face assembly elections on February 7. The result will be declared on February 10.
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