MAKUM (TINSUKIA), March 30 � Two presidents of two national political parties, one addressing three in chaste Hindi with a seriousness of purpose and the other reading out from a text written in the Roman script with Hindi as the phonetics, and trying in vain to make an impression. In the case of the latter, sections of the audience were more interested in the alabaster complexion of the speaker than in her rhetoric.
Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress party, addressed a largely attended election mega rally at the Government School Ground in North Lakhimpur this morning. Her speech had nothing new in it, and nobody was told what the Congress would do if voted back to power. She faulted the BJP for all the ills of the UPA government. In half an hour, the rally was over and Sonia Gandhi was back in her private aircraft to get back to Delhi.
One would not fault Ranee Narah, the Congress candidate from Lakhimpur, if she was contemplating that today�s rally could have been avoided altogether. A fiery leader, she is capable of achieving much more on her own steam. Sonia Gandhi�s visit and the accompanying annoyances were not worth any result that could be gauged from today�s rally.
In stark contrast, BJP president Rajnath Singh defied his age by addressing three meetings today, across all geography of the state: in the Barak Valley, in the Karbi Anglong hills and in the Brahmaputra Valley. He did not �read� speeches, he spoke extempore, and establishing interactive contact with the audiences on occasions.
Of course, the gargantuan corruption of the UPA government in the past two terms make for juicy speeches, and Rajnath Singh knew how to tell a tale of these.
At Makum, where Rajnath Singh�s chopper landed almost two hours late, the people were told of the rapid economic progress roadmap the BJP has drawn up for Assam and the northeast. Though he was a little sketchy on the subject, he spoke with conviction and those listening seemed to agree. After all, they too are all waiting for a economic upturn in the state, and seeking some respite from the debilitating corruption and misrule.
Singh�s chopper was hovering over Makum town for quite some time, as there was a mixup about the landing coordinates. The only letdown here this afternoon was the sight of a tainted MLA on the dais. His presence was abhorred by many. To further anger the conscientious among the audience, this tainted MLA was seen tailing Rajnath Singh the moment he alighted from the chopper till he boarded the aircraft for departure.
