Sonia
spares saffron brigade at Cherthala
Express News Service
Kochi, May
5: Despite her speeches being a copy of ones made during the
earlier two-phase poll campaign, Sonia Gandhi’s last speech
at Cherthala, Kerala, where the BJP has not fielded a single candidate
against Opposition Leader A.K. Antony, conspicuously spared the
saffron brigade.
Even in her speeches at Kollam and Pathanamthitta, the Congress
president toned down her anti-BJP, anti-RSS tirade, thereby fuelling
speculation about a possible poll understanding between the UDF
and BJP in central and southern parts of Kerala.
Though Sonia didn’t convey anything new to the Alappuzha electorate,
she used Cherthala to project the new-found peace in the state Congress.
In fact, K. Karunakaran was ushered on to the dais by A.K. Antony
and Sonia, who has succeeded in bridging the gap between the ‘I’
and ‘A’ factions.
Karunakaran also played to the gallery. ‘‘I’m here
as a symbol of unity in the party,’’ he said even as the
5000-strong crowd cheered aloud. ‘‘Time has come to bury
the LDF ... Let’s cleanse the Assembly which for the last five
years has witnessed only misrule,’’ he urged.
Antony was even wiser. ‘‘I fully endorse whatever Karunakaran
has said ... I also request you to cast your vote for the hand symbol
and to elect me from Cherthala,’’ a humility-personified
Antony said.
Sonia’s visit to Cherthala has further brightened the chances
of Antony’s victory. In fact, Congress workers have been taking
extreme care to prevent anything untoward that would blunt the Opposition
Leader’s edge in Cherthala.
The party even leashed announcements that termed Sonia “rashtramatha’’
after BJP cadres objected. Not satisfied with the withdrawal, a
BJP vehicle today roamed around the temple maidan reiterating the
need to oust ‘‘videshis’’ from India.
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