In Amethi, Priyanka struggles with rising anti-Rahul sentiment

Amethi: Rahul Gandhi is busy campaigning for the Congress across the country, but his voters in Amethi are not missing him. It’s Priyanka who is holding fort among the masses in the Gandhi pocketborough. When Rahul’s candidature was announced from Amethi in 2004, the people of Amethi gave him a rousing welcome. He was the darling of the masses, someone who could do no wrong. But ten years later, the very people are circumspect about his intentions towards them. People in Peeparpur village of Bhadar block were not there in as many numbers as the Congress would have liked them to be. This despite the fact that Priyanka herself is going to address the meeting. “We are not happy with Rahul_ji_. We were promised electricity and we are still waiting” says Bhure Lal. The 52-year-old even questioned the MNREGA scheme, a flagship program of the UPA Govt. “What MNREGA," he asks, “We don’t get any work. Names are put in the register for official paperwork, while money is siphoned off. And the powers that be think it helps the poor.” [caption id=“attachment_1504141” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Priyanka Gandhi on the campaign trail. PTI[/caption] It’s not as if Rahul Gandhi has not done anything for his constituency. Amethi has been at the forefront of UPA’s largess in the past ten years. Over Rs 200 crore has been spent on road connectivity, Amethi boasts of FDDI (Footwear Design and Development Institute), Indira Gandhi Civil Aviation University, and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, among other educational institutions. But Priyanka remains on the backfoot on basic issues. “I know that there is electricity shortage in this area. Sonia_ji_ has spoken to Mulayam Singh_ji_ to solve the problem”, says Priyanka in her short speech at Ambarpur village in Sangrampur block. She goes on to attack the BJP. “When we spoke to the state government about the electricity issue, BJP filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court asking why Amethi and Rae Bareli are being given out of turn electricity compared to other districts. When they come to ask for votes, you must ask them why they did that.” One would wonder why people are still upset with Rahul Gandhi even after he has done so much for the area. And what’s making Priyanka work so hard on a seat won by the Gandhi’s or their loyalist since the eighties except once in 1998. It’s not so much about “development” that Rahul wants to bring in, but about the basic needs of the people. A local connect that existed between the family and the people seems to be diminishing. “Rahul has not worked on managing supporters and workers. He wants to deal directly with the people, but he doesn’t even remember their names. This has both the local leaders and well as the people fuming,” says a senior leader of Congress is Amethi on condition of anonymity. “If Rahul had done any follow up on his promises to the locals, Priyanka wouldn’t be getting sparse crowds in her meetings.” Amethi has almost 2 lakh Brahmin, 3 lakh Muslim and almost 4 lakh Dalit votes. These are the three communities that decide the fate of every general election in this seat. A perfect combination for the Congress in the heart of Central UP’s rural belt. One thought that the party would easily be able to retain the Dalit, Muslim and Brahmin combination, but it appears a little tough this time around. With the Brahmins divided between BJP’s Smriti Irani and Kumar Vishwas, the Congress is banking heavily on the Muslim and Dalit vote. “Congress has a fixed vote in Amethi, it’s the anti-Congress vote that is going to be divided here,” says Akhilesh Pratap Singh, MLA and National Spokesperson of Congress. “Our margin will be over three lakhs like the last time around,” he adds. But one can sense the anti Congress mood in the state, and Priyanka is trying hard to fight not just that, but also the disillusionment of Congress supporters in Amethi. “Rahul_ji_ has a vision and it takes time for the big schemes to turn into reality. He is bringing a Food Park to Amethi so that your produce can be shipped immediately to bigger markets”, says Priyanka. “An MP gets Rs 5 crore as MPLADS fund. Do you know how much of road can be made in that much money, only 5 kilometres” trying to drive home the difference between having a Gandhi as a local MP than anyone else. It is also a fact that in his first tenure, Rahul used to visit his constituency almost every month. But he hasn’t been able to give the same time in the past few years due to his commitments to party work and election campaigns. Yet the people seem to be upset, especially with no electricity and water for their crops in the summer. It’s Priyanka who is making the difference to the Congress’ campaign in 2014, trying to convince the people of Rahul’s deliverance. Even though Rahul wants to turn Amethi into a model constituency, but it’s the mindset that Rahul seems to be failing to change. Perhaps, ten years is a long time for people’s patience to run out, even if you have the Gandhi surname.