General elections 2014: Arvind Kejriwal hits road, steals show in Chandigarh
CHANDIGARH: Unlike a typical relaxed Saturday and a laid-back Sunday, the city beautiful saw a busy weekend.
The Sunday, however, was livelier than Saturday. Thanks to the Aam Aadmi's Sunday's impressive road show which outshone Saturday's "Bharat Vijay rally" of the "aapka apna vyakti (your man)", as Narendra Modi described him.
While Saturday witnessed the affluent speaker, BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, mesmerising his supporters with his wit, Sunday experienced the warmth of Kejriwal.
And it was this personal touch of Kejriwal which brought the residents of the "badsoorat (ugly)" Chandigarh to the streets. Why badsoorat? "Chandigarh has been divided into two halves, one on the other side of the Madhya Marg the posh north. And the ignored south is plagued by lack of basic facilities", Kejriwal explained on the microphone from his
open jeep in a colony engulfed by unbearable stench.
"No, never", shouted the colony residents when Kejriwal asked them as to whether the local MP,
Pawan Kumar Bansal ever visited them in his tenure of 15 years. His warm shake hand with each supporter and the appeal to the
Chandigarh Police to "stay away" and allow people to meet him earned him pro-AAP slogans and immense gathering.
His cavalcade of vehicles, which was barely a dozen in the morning (at 10 am), grew so long in few minutes that it caused traffic snarls in the city. But little did any commuter grudge the snarls. Instead couples, students, children joined the euphoric rally by climbing onto three wheelers and mini vans ending up accommodating more occupants than any Land Cruiser. Identifying themselves as "fans of Mr Kejriwal", a couple joined the road show, leaving their two young kids at home, the moment they learnt about Kejriwal's arrival.
Vikram Singh Thakur (38), relationship manager with
State Bank of India along with his wife Nidhi Thakur (35) kept tailing their "Hero" in their
Maruti Swift. "We both have never voted but now we will", an emotionally charged Nidhi told ET.
A day prior, even as "karoron dilon ki dhadkan (heartthrob of millions)", as BJP leaders described him, Narendra Modi shared the "dard (pain)" of the common man, his rally was attended by little over 12,000 people as against the expected 50,000.
Modi's laced in wit remarks were returned with applause and laughter by those attending the rally. Sample this: Playing with names of the two leaders, Pawan Kumar Bansal and Kirron Kher, Modi had quipped "bhrashtachaar ke Pawan failne mat do. Vikas ki Kiran dikhni chahiye (Do not let corruption spread further. Let a ray of development brighten Chandigarh)".
While Modi urged the city residents to help "behan (sister)"
Kirron Kher win, Kejriwal requested people to gather together to make Chandigarh's "beti (daughter)"
Gul Panag victorious.
Source:
General elections 2014: Arvind Kejriwal hits road, steals show in Chandigarh - The Economic Times
