BHUBANESWAR, Jan 20: Though Sonia Gandhi, the star campaigner for the Congress, hogged the spotlight at the party rally here, it was daughter Priyanka who was the cynosure of all eyes.Draped in an elegant black and red Sambalpuri sari, one of Orissa's finest handloom products, Priyanka was all smiles as she continuously waved at the crowd who cheered mother and daughter.Few people missed her ability to communicate as she scanned the surroundings and periodically raised her hand in greeting. Almost instantly, thousands of hands were raised reciprocating the gesture, while the women repeatedly broke into hula huli, a traditional Oriya way of welcome.Several times, Sonia took the cue from her daughter as she joined in the waving.After Sonia finished her speech, the people waited silently for Priyanka to take the mike.Many were disappointed when the former MP and son-in-law of the chief minister, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik stepped up to propose a vote of thanks. Sensing the mood of the people, Patnaik requested Priyanka to speak a few words as the crowd burst into applause.Priyanka smilingly spoke one sentence: Orissa Basinku mora Subhakamana' (Good wishes to the people of Orissa). This evoked rapturous response.In Bhilai also, where Sonia addressed a rally, Priyanka appeared to be enjoying every moment of it, almost continuously waving to the audience while her mother sat pensively during the speeches of other leaders. At the conclusion of Sonia's speech, Priyanka responded to the calls for her to speak with just two sentences: ``I do not know how to give a bhashan. You have come in large numbers, now you lend similar support to the Congress.''Addressing the rally in Bhilai, Sonia Gandhi stressed the need for accelerated economic reforms, adding only the Congress can provide the same.Sonia started her speech by saying that she was pained to know that farmers had been killed in Madhya Pradesh in police firing. ``I know what the bereaved families must be feeling,'' she empathised.In keeping with her speech trend, she spoke this time in halting Hindi for about 10 minutes. However, most of the estimated 50,000 people on the Jayanti Stadium grounds - largely belonging to the urban and semi-urban class - appeared more interested in shouting slogans than listening to her. Even PCC chief Urmila Singh's exhortation to the people to shout ``Sonia lao, desh bachao'' drew no response.Besides her and Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, former chiefcontinued on page 9
