In Punjab, BJP puts a new shine on tsunami relief

Khanna himself inaugurated the drive and polished shoes with his supporters in various parts of the city.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president H.S. Hanspal dismissed the campaign as a ‘‘drama’’. He told mediapersons that the BJP was resorting to such tactics for political mileage. Hanspal said that district units of the Congress were collecting cash for the victims without resorting to ‘‘such stunts’’.

Most people who donated funds to the BJP unit, however, did not wait to get their shoes polished. BJP activists said many people even gave them Rs 100 as ‘‘token payment’’. According to sources, the campaigners had managed to collect Rs 1 lakh on the first day.

It seems Khanna has a fetish for polishing shoes. When he was an MLA and wanted to raise funds to repair a road in his constituency, he and his supporters had taken to polishing shoes for the purpose then as well.