Guiding lights of Udaipur politics

Ever since separate tourism police was set up in the wake of complaints of unruly behaviour and fleecing of customers by people posing as guides, and special courses started for guides who now carry identity cards, the ‘touts’ are on the run. They speak Hindi and a smattering of English but what gets them tourists—there are about 300 licensed guides—is their direct access to taxis the moment they enter the city.

Most of these youngsters are members of Marwar Sena. Few are aware that it is registered as an NGO—Samrat Subhash Seva Samiti. ‘‘Some members are trained guides, but most are not. That’s why we need support from political parties,’’ says Lokesh Vaishnav, who drives an autorickshaw, when no tourists are in sight.

‘‘Within 10 minutes we can assemble over 150 of the 400 members,’’ says the 24-year-old, eyeing a foreign tourist near Raghunath Mandir. ‘‘Actually I vote for the BJP, but when it comes to elections I offer my services to the Congress. I campaigned for them in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections,’’ he says.

‘‘We belong to Indian trade, they belong to foreign trade,’’ is how a group of touts describes themselves as different from licensed guides who speak English and cater to the foreign tourists. Though they are very few days when tourists don’t venture, the sena engages in activities like blood donation, and even went to Anjar in Gujarat during the 2001 earthquake.

‘‘We don’t necessarily earn from helping parties. They take care of food, petrol and vehicles, but we need them to protect us from police who harass us every now and then,’’ says Dharmendra Vaishnav, a 16-year-old student of Class IX. ‘‘Who wins does not matter, for they all help us when we have hassles with the police. But to be on the safer side we always carry up to Rs 150 in our pockets to bribe the police,’’ admits a ‘guide’’ saying he is no different from the licensed ones for he charges less and shows them around to the same places.

Political parties deny using their services during the elections saying they have enough workers to take care of campaigning, but the Sena is pretty vocal about its role. Divided in four zone, Sena members are not directly approached by the party. ‘‘The zone incharge is approached and the rest follow his instructions. If we don’t, we will have no protection,’’ says another member.

‘‘I have no qualms in shouting slogans like Desh Ka Neta Kaisa Ho,’’ says Rajendra Singh Chundavat, 24. He takes to campaigning only in the evening, after ‘guiding’ people through the day, and prefers rural areas because they are easily accepted there.

Manohar Singh Solanki, a shopkeeper, in Raghunath Mandir chowk, does not have any kind words for the Sena. ‘‘They misuse the front for doing all illegal activities from collecting funds during festivals to taking commissions from hotels. They have no ideology because they work for whoever saves them from the police,’’ says Solanki.