SAD, Congress mull reasons for AAP’s grand show

AAP supporters at a rally during Maghi Mela in Muktsar. Tribune photo

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, January 15

Success of the AAPs rally here has forced leaders of both the SAD and the Congress to introspect on the fledgling party’s grand show in Punjab.

While the SAD leaders found that holding a political conference about five-six km away from the town and not arranging langar for the public went against them, the Congress found that lengthy speeches of some leaders and unexpected vibrant speech of a youth leader just ahead of the main speakers had dispersed the crowd.

However, no party leader admitted that their show was any lesser than the others.

On the other hand, people being ferried to the venue by these parties either went to pay obeisance at the gurdwara or ended up attending the AAP rally.

A senior SAD leader, preferring anonymity, said, “Our pandal was the biggest, but changing the rally venue went against us. The people had to go to the gurdwara and they started moving towards the town. In the past, people went to the gurdwara after attending the rally. Further, we had called party workers from just five districts, whereas the other two parties brought people from far flung areas too,” he added.

Similarly, a Congress leader, who was part of the organizers, said, “Some of our leaders delivered lengthy speeches as a result of which the public left the venue. The weather too was cold yesterday and despite changing the mats in the pandal, some of them were still wet and uncomfortable. The youth also left after listening to their favourite leader.”

On the other hand, AAP leaders had just a night before had reduced the area of their pandal which helped them to present an impressive show. Further, the AAP leadership also served langar to the people. Besides, it is a fact that people had come to listen to AAP’s national convenor-cum-Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. They were even more charged than the SAD and the Congress workers, and continued waving AAP flags and raising anti-government slogans, said another leader.

Courtesy: The Tribune