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Sharat Pradhan
Rae Bareli, Sept 6: They have several things in common. Both Arun Nehru and Satish Sharma have had proximity to the Gandhi family and have benefitted from their patronage till the former fell out with them.
Both Nehru and Sharma have also been closely associated with Rae Bareli, a one time pocketborough of Indira Gandhi, who nursed it and made it one of the most high-profile parliamentary constituencies in the country in the sixties and seventies.
Today, the two are pitted against each other in a four-cornered electoral contest in this Uttar Pradesh constituency, where they seem to be equally disliked by some sections of the electorate.
Nehru is a nominee of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sharma of the Congress. While Arun Nehru is claiming to be the "real Nehru," Sharma is accusing him of being a "gaddar" (traitor) for having crossed over to BJP. As for Sharma himself, he claims to be "wafadaar" (loyal) to the Gandhi family. Arun Nehru, he says, ceased to be a true Nehru, the day he joined theBJP.
Arun Nehru, once an executive in a multinational firm, shot into the limelight when Indira Gandhi picked her second cousin to assist her in political work and rose to become the most sought-after power broker in New Delhi. Following Indira Gandhi's assassination, it was, he who hurriedly got Rajiv Gandhi installed as Prime Minister and became one of his trusted aides. Nehru won the 1984 parliamentary election from Rae Bareli with a record margin. However, by the next election in 1989, he had fallen out with Rajiv Gandhi following political differences and that virtually spelt his doom in public life. Nehru was in political limbo till recently when he came in handy for BJP, which desperately needed a heavyweight -- at least in name, to be fielded in Rae Bareli, especially after its MP from here, Ashok Kumar Singh, had joined the Congress.
Sharma has a similar background. Thanks to his friend and co-pilot Rajiv Gandhi, he flew from an Indian Airlines cockpit straight into the country's top politicalarena at New Delhi. As Rajiv Gandhi's constituency manager, he became another power centre, cabinet minister, but his reputation has taken a beating over the years largely due to neglect of his constituents and his alleged involvement in a number of murky deals regarding his petroleum portfolio.
Sonia Gandhi's refusal to take the plunge into public life following Rajiv Gandhi's death led Sharma to adopt the former's constituency Amethi as his own, though he continued to describe it only as a "temporary arrangement." He is saying the same about Rae Bareli today. Echoing what he used to say in Amethi, he has been telling the people of Rae Bareli: "I am here with the sandals of Rajiv Gandhi's family; I am only a custodian. Once Rahul or Priyanka decide to take the plunge, I will just withdraw from the scene and hand over this constituency to them."
But that doesn't mean it's all smooth sailing for Sharma. Complained a Congress supporter, "Had the Congress leadership been wiser in choosing anyone other than adefamed and arrogant Satish Sharma, it could have managed a walkover in Rae Bareli." Just as Sharma is busy speaking of his proximity to the Gandhi family, Nehru has been boasting about what he did for the constituency both as `Man Friday' to two Prime Ministers as well as the MP from Rae Bareli. But he lacks a cadre base. Neither is he familiar with the BJP ground-level worker, nor is the entire BJP cadre willing to work for him. Quite a few have followed Ashok Singh to the Congress.
A BJP activist wondered: "Why was a former Congress member, who was as much detested in that party, picked up from oblivion and brought here to represent BJP? Couldn't they find somebody from the cadre?"
The people of Rae Bareli have nothing complimentary to say about either of the two main candidates. "Both of them are the high-flying types, who can only make claims and counter-claims. I wish there was a real grassroot man fielded by at least one of the two parties," lamented Rajesh, a school teacher. Ghanshyam, ashopowner, wondered: "Why do we get these five-star leaders, who are neither interested in the constituency nor have any concern for its people? They only come here to take our votes and then play their politics from the portals of power in Delhi."
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) nominee, Nand Prakash Lodh, is therefore harping on the fact that he was the only local man in the fray. According to him, "Even the SP (Samajwadi Party) candidate, Gajadhar Singh, is an outsider." Terming both Nehru and Sharma as "foreigners in Rae Bareli", Lodh, who had lost by only a small margin in 1998, is hopeful that the tide would turn in his favour this time.
Political observers, however, say despite the expressions of disgust with Nehru and Sharma, the voters in Rae Bareli would eventually elect one of them. Both Nehru and Sharma can claim affinity with India's first political family, which has been the key to success in all past elections in Rae Bareli. The winner this time would be the less hated man.
India AbroadNews Service
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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