SHILLONG:
Wrapped in Congress colours, Malki ground on February 22 saw Rahul Gandhi in traditional Khasi attire address a rally to seek votes for party candidates for the February 27 assembly election.
The size of the crowd probably was nothing to write home about, but their spirits ran high even after having to wait for a few extra hours under a blazing sun for their man of the moment to arrive.
What helped, of course, was a live band that kept the people, young and elderly alike, dancing. Shouts of ‘Ha Ka Kti’ (in our hands), mostly from women, rend the air.
A hovering helicopter did distract them from listening to Rahul, but he quickly got their attention back for the claps and cheers to follow.
The Congress is trying to bounce back from the dead in Meghalaya after it lost all its MLAs to various parties, mainly the TRinamool Congress.
Manuel Badwar, the Congress candidate from East Shillong thinks Congress is going to bounce back because the corrupted ones are not a part of it anymore. As The Meghalayan caught up with him on the sidelines of the public meeting, he said, “As far as Meghalaya is concerned, I think the Congress is stronger than ever because the fundamentals of the party have changed over
the past year or so. Many of these turn-coats have left, so Congress has got a new lease of life rather”.
For the party, it seems like almost a fresh start, as it has fielded candidates for all sixty seats with 47 of them below the age of 45 while 10 are women. A lot of the candidates were professionals and fresh entrants into politics and if this was a conscious decision, Badwar agrees.
He said, “It was at the guidance of our president Vincent Pala who talks less, but makes his point. That’s the best part about Congress now, that there are these tall leaders firm in their ideology and ready to listen to our (youths) opinions. We are not sidelined. Congress is about progressive politics now”.
Badwar clarified that Gandhi was not here to campaign for anybody. He mentioned, “See Rahul Gandhi is not a guy who just talks, you see how many miles he has walked. What did he walk for ? For secularism, for bringing the country together”.
Party candidate from Nongthymmai Dr Banidashisha Kharkongor is hopeful that with Rahul’s visit to the state, the party members would be re-energized to work harder. “His visit will boost our members’ morale because he comes at a time when talks about the party’s inevitable doom are doing the rounds. His visit will prove otherwise,” she told The Meghalayan.
Similarly, Congress candidate from West Shillong Bethleen Dkhar expressed hope in the fresh and young team that is spearheading the party in this election. “As you see, there are many people here and I am confident that Rahul Gandhi’s visit will further the aims and aspirations of Congress Meghalaya,” she added.
Meanwhile, former MLA and party candidate from Mylliem Ronnie V Lyngdoh said, Rahul Gandhi’s visit is testimony to the love and respect leaders like him have for a small state like Meghalaya.
“We are grateful to him. We know that going forward, he will continue to stand in Parliament and fight for our rights and against the divisive politics of the BJP that seek to destroy our culture, faith, tradition, and language,” Lyngdoh said.