With a little help, she fills Shivaji Park

She filled Shivaji Park. It’s an achievement Mumbai’s most powerful leader, Shiv Sena’s Bal Thackeray, hasn’t been able to notch for years. The turnout gave the Congress a fig leaf to cover its early December shame.

There was ample help from the state machinery. State Transport buses, laden with the rallyists have been clogging the streets of Mumbai all day. Gurudas Kamat, the main organiser, had reason to grin from ear to ear.

Outside the park, Dadar had become the parking lot of Maharashtra. Four leaders in crackling khadi—all packed in Skoda Octavia—drummed ringed fingers on their knees as traffic refused to move. Lining the roads on both sides were the 2,200 buses, thousands of jeeps, Sumos and cars that brought thousands of people cajoled by party workers for a free trip to the big city.