BBC Online :
The hopes of India’s Congress party rest on the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, heir to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which has dominated Indian politics for decades. The BBC’s Geeta Pandey went to Uttar Pradesh to watch him campaign as he tries to inspire voters in the face of polls predicting defeat.
Nearly 7,000 people have gathered on a pleasant summer day at the Ramlila ground in the town of Pratapgarh for a Congress rally.
Party workers have bussed in supporters from the neighbouring districts too and, as I drive up to the venue, I encounter hundreds of people – men and women, young and old – walking towards the rally grounds.
Gandhi’s smiling face greets us from a huge hoarding at the entrance. Inside, the waiting crowd waves party flags, some cheer and clap as candidates from the nearby constituencies take the stage to speak.
Among them is Ravi Kishan, the biggest star of Bhojpuri-language cinema and Congress candidate for Jaunpur.
“Rahul Gandhi could lie around on a beach in Italy or somewhere else in Europe, with a glass of wine by his side,” the actor says.
“But he has chosen to be among us,” he adds.
Kishan’s statement is made to highlight the sacrifice Gandhi is making by exchanging the comforts of the city life for the rough and tumble of Indian politics.
As Gandhi arrives, the crowd surges forward, with many craning their necks to get a better look.
In his 20-minute speech, he lists the achievements of the Congress government in the past 10 years – the rural employment guarantee scheme, the landmark food security bill, the roads and electricity infrastructure the government has built.
Congress party rally in Pratapgarh Thousands of people attended Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Pratapgarh
He ends by ticking all the right boxes – his wish to see more women in parliament, about the power of the youth, turning India into a manufacturing hub to compete with China, and a promise to create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
After the speech, he scales the security fence to get into a narrow enclosure between the stage and the public; women and men press forward to grab his hands. Some scream out his name to get his attention.
Among the crowd is Ram Kumar, a 60-year-old daily wage worker.
“I will definitely vote for him. The Congress party has done a lot for the people here – we’ve got water, power, better roads because of the party,” he says.
Rahul Gandhi is from the first family of Indian politics – his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of independent India, his grandmother Indira and father Rajiv were also prime ministers, and his mother Sonia is now the Congress party president.
The hopes of India’s Congress party rest on the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, heir to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty which has dominated Indian politics for decades. The BBC’s Geeta Pandey went to Uttar Pradesh to watch him campaign as he tries to inspire voters in the face of polls predicting defeat.
Nearly 7,000 people have gathered on a pleasant summer day at the Ramlila ground in the town of Pratapgarh for a Congress rally.
Party workers have bussed in supporters from the neighbouring districts too and, as I drive up to the venue, I encounter hundreds of people – men and women, young and old – walking towards the rally grounds.
Gandhi’s smiling face greets us from a huge hoarding at the entrance. Inside, the waiting crowd waves party flags, some cheer and clap as candidates from the nearby constituencies take the stage to speak.
Among them is Ravi Kishan, the biggest star of Bhojpuri-language cinema and Congress candidate for Jaunpur.
“Rahul Gandhi could lie around on a beach in Italy or somewhere else in Europe, with a glass of wine by his side,” the actor says.
“But he has chosen to be among us,” he adds.
Kishan’s statement is made to highlight the sacrifice Gandhi is making by exchanging the comforts of the city life for the rough and tumble of Indian politics.
As Gandhi arrives, the crowd surges forward, with many craning their necks to get a better look.
In his 20-minute speech, he lists the achievements of the Congress government in the past 10 years – the rural employment guarantee scheme, the landmark food security bill, the roads and electricity infrastructure the government has built.
Congress party rally in Pratapgarh Thousands of people attended Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Pratapgarh
He ends by ticking all the right boxes – his wish to see more women in parliament, about the power of the youth, turning India into a manufacturing hub to compete with China, and a promise to create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
After the speech, he scales the security fence to get into a narrow enclosure between the stage and the public; women and men press forward to grab his hands. Some scream out his name to get his attention.
Among the crowd is Ram Kumar, a 60-year-old daily wage worker.
“I will definitely vote for him. The Congress party has done a lot for the people here – we’ve got water, power, better roads because of the party,” he says.
Rahul Gandhi is from the first family of Indian politics – his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of independent India, his grandmother Indira and father Rajiv were also prime ministers, and his mother Sonia is now the Congress party president.
