The distance between Lakhimpur in northeastern Assam and the southern tip of Kanyakumari in India is over 3,000 km. But on Monday, the two corners saw a similar political portrait: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Kanyakumari and his general secretary from the sister party Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Assam, breaking up dancing with the locals.
On Tuesday, Priyanka continued to collect tea leaves at Sadhuru Tea Garden in Biswanath district, connecting with a key vote bank in the populous northeastern state that will attend the three-phase polls starting March 27.
Rahul, the main activist of the party in this round of assembly elections in four states and also UT, came up with new ideas to reach the people. She joined the students from St. Joseph’s Tuition Upper Secondary School in Kanyakumari’s Mulagumudu in their dance. Then, he accepted a push-up challenge from Merolin Shenigha, a student who is also a judo enthusiast.
Rahul, trained in the Japanese martial art Aikido, did an additional push-up trick with one hand to thunderous applause from the students who came to meet him on a Sunday morning. A few days ago in Kerala, he dived into the sea together with some fishermen and helped a group of villagers cook mushroom biryani in Tamil Nadu. He also did it before, when he joined the MGNREGS workers at UP in their work when the UPA was in power.
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All of these antics are part of what is seen as a new age Congressional campaign with top leaders eager to break down the barrier between themselves and the public. No longer limited to addressing large meetings or road shows, Gandhis makes it a more personal appearance and a direct and attractive interaction with his audience.
The history of such engagements, of course, dates back to the days of Indira Gandhi, when she climbed barriers and interacted freely with rural women frequently during her days as Prime Minister. Or when Rajiv Gandhi was driving his own jeep on dirt roads and meeting people.
The BJP and other parties have also devised such plans to add a personal touch to their political programs. Sharing a meal with a villager, spending a night in a village, or riding in the backseat with an aam admi are all parts of a changing canvas of political propaganda.
