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Journalism of Courage
Sonia Gandhi today launched her party’s poll campaign in Maharashtra with a whistle-stop tour across the tribal, adivasi heartland of the state even as NCP chief Sharad Pawar did not attend the function.
At the Nandurbar rally, her 16-minute speech had the same tried and tested lines, but the handshake was more vigorous and the smile broader. From the minute, Sonia walked onto the podium after inaugurating the Adivasi Co-operative Sugar Mill at Dokare village, applause and slogans greeted her.
‘‘The BJP is spending the hard-earned money of the people on advertisements saying India is shining. The poor have become poorer, so where is India shining. It is only the BJP which is shining,’’ Sonia said.
The district has always been a traditional Congress bastion, the percentage of party votes increasing with each election. However, the estimated 3.50 lakh crowd assembled at the Dokare ground was way below what she had attracted during her first rally after taking over as party chief in 1998.
Sonia’s next stop was Digras in Yavatmal, where she addressed a 1.5 lakh-strong rally organised as part of golden jubilee celebrations of the All India Banjara Seva Sangh. It turned out to be a tamer affair because Pawar chose to keep away, sending Assembly Speaker Arun Gujarathi as his representative.
It is gathered that Pawar was advised by the NCP thinktank that it would be too premature to share a stage with Sonia before striking a seat-sharing deal.
