April 1; Congress does not disappoint

Gumla, April 1

After making the crowd wait for over four hours on Tuesday at the Aerodrome maidan in the town's outskirts, Congress leaders announced that Rahul Gandhi would not be making an appearance due to a malfunctioning helicopter.

It was a major embarrassment for the state unit of the party, as they had managed to draw crowds to match Narendra Modi's March 27 rally at the same venue but had to do without their star campaigner.

The irony was not lost on some people. "I knew these political parties would want to celebrate April 1 in some way," said Amit Toppo (21).

Pradesh Congress Committee's spokesperson Shailesh Sinha said a helicopter malfunction had forced the cancellation. "After his rally I Godda, there was a stopover at Ranchi. The pilot noticed smoke while trying to take off, so another aircraft was called for," he said. The Special Protection Group delayed things further. "The second aircraft was single-engine and SPG was not happy with it. By the time approvals came through, it was late. He had to leave at 5 PM," said Sinha.

Rahul also lost a chance to address crowds from the same site from which Rajiv Gandhi campaigned for Congress candidate Sumati Oraon in 1984.

Rahul was scheduled to arrive at the venue at 2 PM, though the district unit of the party had announced that he would arrive at 1 PM. There was a festive atmosphere on the grounds, not least because it was the eve of Sahrul, one of the most important adivasi festivals. However, as time wore on, people started leaving to go to the market and to prepare for Sahrul.

A large number of people stayed on the periphery of the three-tier security enclosure, so it was difficult to estimate how large the assembly was. "This is bigger than Modi's rally; the enclosure was smaller for that one," said Chama Bara (22). Lohardaga, the constituency in which Gumla falls, has a significant number of voters from the Oraon tribe. The Christian converts among them generally prefer the Congress. On the other hand, caste Hindus usually stick together. "This is nothing compared to the Modi rally. It took place on a [CPI-Maoist] bandh, too," said Vikram Kumar (18).

Congress candidate Rameshwar Oraon and Geetashree Oraon, minister in the state cabinet and the legislator from Gumla's Sisai, were among the leaders who tried to keep the crowd engaged during the four-hour wait. "My vote will still go to the Congress, but I am now worried about the party's chances here," said Krishna Tana Bhagat, part of a community that has always supported the Congress.

Some, however, went away happy. "I usually make Rs. 700 after a day's work. Today, just by standing here, I've made more. I'm out of stock!" said Nagendra Gope, who sold ice cream cones at the venue.