Tags:
Journalism of Courage
NEW DELHI, Oct 23: The alleged Delhi-based frontman of Dawood Ibrahim Romesh Sharma’s flamboyant style is not in evidence outside his ambitiously-named All India Bharatiya Congress (AIBC) party offices at 11 and 16 Mahadeva Road. The party stickers with his photograph that were stuck on everything — from his golden 500 SEL Mercedes to the flower-pots at his Chattarpur farmhouse — have gone missing since his arrest last Tuesday.
In fact, it was only this afternoon that the banners and flags of his three-month old party were hastily removed. The despondency is apparent in the fading smiles of Sharma’s party workers. One of them, Mahinder Singh, said: “When a father leaves the house there will naturally be many changes. We also have to adapt to this situation.” Yet, he hurriedly added: “Sharmaji had so many plans for Delhi. We will still implement them.”
Sharma’s `national’ office at 11 Mahadev Road is actually the residence of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Lok Sabha MP Prasanna Kumar Patsani. The houseof former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shiv Charan Singh serves as the AIBC’s `Delhi unit’ office. Singh quit the BJP six months ago.
While Sharma developed a reputation for grabbing whatever he took a fancy to, he also aimed to please his political masters. And there were many. His workers say that people from parties across the political spectrum would drop by to pledge their `allegiance’ to him. “We have been here for only two months and already people from the BJP, Congress, BJD, Shiv Sena and many independent candidates have approached us. Sharmaji is such a generous man that he can’t say no to anyone,” said a twenty-something in a bright red sweatshirt, tattered jeans and a ring in his left ear.
Sharma, we are told, had earmarked Rs 14 crore for the November 25 Delhi elections at the rate of Rs 20 lakh for each of the 70 constituencies. Party worker Sudeep Sharma says, “We have our men in all the 70 constituencies and Sharmaji had already decided the candidates. We can only follow hiscommands.”
A security guard in the same colony said: “Sharma’s men would roam around saying they are Congress people. They wouldn’t clarify and give the full name of the party. Many people here still think that he is a Congress man.”
AIBC workers said that they went to the Election Commission today to put in their forms for a party symbol. Party worker Shailesh Pant said: “We would like to have a pair of clasped hands as our symbol. For Sharmaji that is a symbol of strength.”
According to AIBC workers, independent candidate Kallu Bhaiyya and Surinder Sharma of the Shiv Sena from Haryana have expressed their desire to join the party. Sharma has a loyal contingent from his erstwhile constituency Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh, most of whom are in the age group of 16-24.
Eighteen-year-old Jitendra Mishra says: “We are all from Phulpur and were living with him at C-30 (his Mayfair Gardens residence). Our party is for the youth. We have at least 18,000 members in Delhi itself, and more are joiningeveryday. We have left everything and come here, our homes, our families. He is our family now, he takes care of us,” one of them said.
