After losing face at Maghi Mela, Punjab Congress ‘gets its act together’ at Talwandi Sabo

The Congress camp, preparing for over a month for the rally, heaved a sigh of relief as the crowds gathered at their venue.

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Almost all the senior party leaders came together on the stage except former Punjab Congress president, Partap Singh Bajwa, who is abroad.

Riding a high wave after the successful rally, Punjab Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh proudly told The Indian Express that their pandal was the biggest, measuring at 250X950 square feet and yet it was choc-a-block.

He claimed that AAP slipped to number three this time, “I am wondering why they could not match our show despite claiming support in Malwa region,” he said.

Sources in Congress said it was not a cakewalk to gather crowds at the rally. The party paid up for 1,200 buses hired to ferry crowds, made arrangements for 75,000 packaged water bottles so that the crowds do not disperse, looking for water. The pandal was made comfortable by installing pedestal fans to ensure the people stayed put in the warm weather. The leaders in all the districts of Malwa were contacted several times by the Congress team to ensure the rally fills up. Some political observers attributed the huge response to Congress rally for AAP’s lack of a strong leader with an appeal compared to Amarinder Singh who has a charisma and is known as a crowd puller.

During the Maghi rally, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor, Arvind Kejriwal turned out to be an attraction for the masses, who gathered in huge numbers, as several were seen leaving venues of traditional political parties to have a glimpse of Kejriwal.

AAP leader Durgesh Pathak, however, did not agree with Amarinder. He said people came in Congress buses and attended AAP rally. “Congress had challenged us to put up a befitting show. People came to attend our rally on their own,” he said.