Tribune News Service
Sangrur, April 22
It's a warm and sunny morning that turns cloudy for some time before the sun reclaims its position. But weather is the last thing on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Bhagwant Mann's mind.
Mann, who is contesting from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, has more than 200 villages to cover for his campaign. He has already visited 300 villages, a no mean feat. His vocal cords are giving way. They need rest, he has been told. But his priority is elections. And the comedian-turned-politician is taking his new role seriously. After his switch from the People's Party of Punjab (PPP) to AAP, he has had to answer uneasy questions like why he quit the PPP to join AAP. By now, he has become adept in tackling these questions.
Mann's public meetings start around 6 am. But his day starts at 4.30 am. He is a 'net' person. He checks e-mails, posts messages on his Facebook page, talks on Skype and reads e-papers even before the sun is up. "This is my routine. It is not poll-centric. I have been doing it for years. The only difference is that now most of my supporters from abroad discuss elections and our talk veers around the polls."
At least one hour is devoted to meetings with party workers and supporters to discuss the day's schedule. By 1 pm, Mann has covered around eight villages adjoining Sangrur city. Next is a meeting with members of the District Bar Association. Even as he speaks like a consummate politician, his perfect comic timing is hard to miss.
Man(n) on a mission
Before addressing the gathering of advocates, he asks them to switch off their mobile phones. "The mobiles were meant for emergency. We are now living in a perpetual state of emergency," he says, poker-faced.
The next moment, he looks solemn. There is a rather strident note in his voice. The Akali Dal-BJP government is interested in keeping the masses uneducated, he alleges, while trashing the "pro-poor" schemes of the government.
Mann says: "The bridges (in Punjab) are desperate for their inauguration. The bridges are ready. Their inauguration awaits politicians' nod." He addresses the issue of brain drain, blaming the political leaders for having failed to provide jobs to the youth. "The youth are leaving their motherland for foreign shores. Instead of making the economic and political conditions in the state conducive for the youth to stay back, the Badal government was seen reassuring the people that they will take up the visa issue with the British government," he says in a voice laced with sarcasm.
Training his guns on Congress candidate Vijay Inder Singla, he claims that 95 per cent villagers in the constituency say they have never seen Singla (who is the Sangrur MP) visit their village.
A brief interaction with the advocates follows. Mann is asked why he quit the PPP to join AAP. His argument goes: "The Congress is the root cause of corruption and Manpreet Singh Badal forged an alliance with it. The Congress also approached me and offered me the Rajya Sabha ticket from Maharashtra. But I declined. I told them that I am on a mission, not on a commission. I joined AAP unconditionally."
Broom talk
At a meeting at Bhindran village, Mann's speech is shorter. His gestures are louder and more emphatic. "Drugs are ruining our children," he thunders. He narrates a tale from the animal kingdom to draw a comparison between the BJP and the Congress. The bottom-line: "For those who want to rid the country of corruption, here is a chance. Clean the morass with a broom."
The next stop is at the nearby Ghabdan village. Here, Mann makes fun of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's penchant to have his photo affixed on various things that are doled out to the underprivileged as part of the state government's welfare schemes. He takes a dig at Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal's promise to make Punjab a California of India: "There is no need to turn Punjab into California. Let's make it a rangla (colourful and happy) Punjab."
Criticising the Badal government's "publicity overdrive" vis-à-vis kabaddi tourneys, he again delves into his repertoire of witty tales.
Raising the pitch for a change in governance, he says, "A broom is used to clean the house. It is also 'used' when a woman desires to teach a lesson to her drunkard husband."
As the day's campaign in rural areas draws to a close, Mann has covered close to 20 villages. He's ready for the road show in the city. He wants to visit each and every village and also reach out to the electorate in urban areas.
Source Link: http://www.tribuneindia.com
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