Massive Turnout for Advani's Yatras

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What made Advani's yatra click, wonders RSS

 

Press Trust of India

Posted online: Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 1639 hours IST

 

 

Pune, April 11: The generally positive response to L K Advani's

`Bharat Suraksha yatra' both in Gujarat and Maharashtra has baffled

both the Sangh Parivar, which has kept away from it, and the party's

own managers, who are wondering whether there was an undeclared race

between Narendra Modi and Pramod Mahajan to make his tour a success.

 

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The Leader of Opposition himself appeared a bit baffled by the crowds

and told a public meeting at Bhosari in Pune on Monday night that he

was not expecting such turn outs in the scorching heat.

 

"People told me that the timing of the yatra was wrong and that in

Congress-ruled states it would be difficult to get the crowds. But the

experience in Gujarat and Maharashtra have proved otherwise," he said.

 

Advani said he was not bothered by media reports of poor turnout as

the "people concerned" (UPA government) were getting the message.

 

The meetings in pre-dominantly tribal and Congress bastions of

Talasari and Charoti witnessed large attendance of local people, while

residents were seen waiting along the yatra routes at Kamahet and

Vadgaon as the Advani juggernaut rolled down rural Maharashtra.

 

Advani loyalists were quick to claim that the crowds were proof that

his popularity has not diminished after his resignation as party chief

in the wake of the Jinnah controversy with some even asserting that it

was actually a vindication of the moderate line being advocated by the

veteran leader.

 

However, his critics attribute the response to the influence of local

party satraps, Chief Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat and national

party general secretary Pramod Mahajan in Maharashtra.

 

Modi, once the poster boy of Sangh Parivar, has been cosying upto

Advani ever since dissidence began troubling him. Advani, who was the

then party chief, defended the embattled Chief Minister in the wake of

the Gujarat riots even as then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee

spoke of `rajdharma'.

 

Later, when Advani got into trouble in the wake of the Jinnah

controversy, Modi was among the party leaders, who backed him to the

hilt and during the current yatra he has pulled all stops to ensure

that it was a grand success in the state.

 

"You cannot sustain audience interest if the chemistry does not work.

Crowds in India are unforgiving and they booed even a great player

like Sachin Tendulkar," said party general secretary Ananth Kumar, who

is also the incharge of the yatra.

 

As for the crowds in Maharshtra, observers said Mahajan and his

brother-in-law state BJP legislature party leader Gopinath Munde have

left no stone unturned to convey to Advani that even without any

government machinery to back, they can match Modi, who remains a rival

to Mahajan in the party's second generation leadership.

 

Asked about the difference between the response to this yatra and his

previous Ram Rath yatra, Advani says "the issues are different. So

would the response be. But at that time too, the media reports had

sought to play down the crowds. It is now only that comparisons are

being made".

 

Whether it is competition or curiosity, the 78-year old veteran is

enjoying the response with even the throat trouble caused by the

scorching heat not stopping him from addressing an average 15-18

public meetings a day.

 

He is also not bothered about the response in the coming days. "Wait

for Karnataka," promises Ananth Kumar, as the yatra gets set to enter

his home turf on April 13.

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65924