
BHARUCH, Nov 22: They make an interesting, if odd, couple. And they are very visible even among the hundreds of Bharatiya Janata Party workers thronging Bharuch right now. As different as chalk from cheese are earthy, phlegmatic Ratilal Verma, a mountain of a man at 6 foot 5 inches, and the suave, urbane, slight Bharat Pandya. Both BJP leaders 8212; the former an MP, the latter MLA 8212; hail from Dhanduka village near Ahmedabad. And both seem to be vastly amused by the distinctive appearances. quot;We enjoy it as much as you doquot;, says Pandya, the party spokesman in Gujarat.
There are other similarities between the two. Both have small business as their background. Though Pandya was a full-fledged party worker before he became an MLA, he once owned a small unit manufacturing fire-fighting clothes/sheets; Verma owned a small timber business.
Their pedigree is good, though again different. Verma is almost a legend in Gujarat, winning his fourth Lok Sabha election in a row earlier this year. Pandya, on the other hand, acquired giant-killer8217; status when he trounced then Chief Minister Dilip Parikh in his first-ever Assembly elections.
quot;I know people sort of laugh when they learn about my distinctive features or see me. But what can I do, I am suchquot;, Verma says in his extraordinarily husky and heavy voice. quot;We also have several other common thingsquot;, Pandya chips in with his modest-to-a-fault, smooth-as-silk voice, specifying that they have been doing a remarkable job in developing their area. There had of late been an acute shortage of drinking water which had been taken care of. Now, say the duo, is the turn of roads and other civic amenities and then the schools8217; additional facilities.