Congress plays the Bahuguna card

Currently,Bahuguna’s daughter Rita Bahuguna Joshi is the state Congress president and her brother Shekhar Bahuguna is a candidate from Phaphamau Assembly constituency. It was no surprise,therefore,that Joshi,like many other speakers,including the candidates,began their addresses by saying “Yeh Bahugunaji ki dharti hai (This is Bahugunaji’s territory)”.

“I remember when people used to just write their request on a post card to Bahugunaji in Delhi (Bahuguna also held various portfolios at Centre) and he would get the job done,” said Dr Bhagwat Prasad Pandey,the party’s candidate from Karchchana.

The man,who had shared a hot-and-cold relationship with Congress’ top leadership during the later part of his political career in the 1970s and 1980s,is credited with giving this area several things,including canals with lift pumps for irrigation and also promoting IFFCO,the name associated with fertiliser production. Also,he was among the last leaders who managed to take all sections of the society together with him.

While Rahul delved in detail on his favourite themes of how the opposition parties have misled the people – BJP through its “India Shining” campaign and SP and BSP through various unfulfilled promises – there was a bit of trouble when some people waved black flags at him. The Congress workers there caught hold of these men and reportedly beat them up. Two of them were said to be seriously injured and had to be taken to Duddhi Primary Health Centre. While the police claimed to be looking into the incident,the protesters claimed association with Baba Ramdev and said that they showed black flags to raise the issue of bringing black money back in the country.