The “ruler” and the “ruled” have come together in Amritsar in a run-up to 2014 parliamentary polls. The royalty is taking the streets of this holy city, both in urban and rural pockets, on its way to success in an SUV. But, the former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is no more committing the mistakes he made in the Assembly election in 2012.
He makes it a point to come closer to the masses by rolling down the windows of a white Innova he travels in, something he did not do earlier. little wonder, Amritsar voters believe that Capt Amarinder has steered clear of his “arrogant image” and is driving into their lives, and victory. But, what may come as a surprise to many is that Capt Amarinder’s campaigning at the fag end of the electioneering process is punctuated by the dire need to meet the deadline for the completion of his book on World War I.
Capt Amarinder is, in fact, fighting against time to compete his book on First World War before the next month and is spending an hour daily on the book. Dressed in his usual crisp white kurta, Capt Amarinder starts his day at around 8 in the morning by meeting scores of people — party workers, general public, the leaders, and all... listening to their grievances, accepting supports, and all that needs to be done to win an election, apparently.
Having already completed covering all 700 villages in Amritsar Parliamentary constituency, the senior Congress leader has also done up with his campaigning in all the urban areas too. “We have already covered 700 villages of the constituency...as going to each and every village is not possible, we have made one zone comprising 12-13 villages and have meeting at one central point. Regarding urban area, we will also done it by today,” Capt Amarinder shares with The Pioneer, while on his way to one of the workers meeting.
Known for his charismatic personality that can be gauged by accompanying him to public meetings, Capt Amarinder is greeted with loud cheers, zindabad slogans as he enters the venue of the public meeting with railway employees — palledaars.
Accompanied by Kapurthala MlA Rana Gurjit, Capt Amarinder gives patient hearing to their complaints and demands, interacting with them with a hand on their shoulder — a rare sight with Patiala Royal — in a clear curt departure from his perceived image of a Maharaja.
Sitting in his SUV, he talks with the party workers asking them to work for the party, assigning them duties in a fatherly manner. On way to over 100-year-old Nausehra House, his residence for a time being in Amritsar, he does not fail even once to wave at the people standing at either side of the road to make way for his cavalcade. Smilingly, the people respond, also with a bit surprise.
Accommodating the scores of scribes descending in the holy city to witness the “mother of all battles”, Capt Amarinder give them all his time, providing them complete opportunity to ask in a ‘no holds barred’ question-hour session. During his hectic day regime, a former army man also made it a point that he did not miss on his lunch for the day. “All this hectic campaigning concluded at around 12 midnight or 1 am, and then I give one-hour each day for my book without fail as I have to finish it by the next months,” Capt Amarinder says, while savouring the small chapatis with dal and bhindi.
As the discussion took him to the drug-hit Punjab, Capt Amarinder wastes no time to target his old arch rival, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “Nearly 73 per cent youth in the entire Punjab is afflicted with drugs, and look at this fellow, he wanted to legalise this drug trade... I will not allow this Government to write the death warrant of an entire young generation,” he warns.
Mincing no words, Capt Amarinder dubs Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, a drug manufacturer. “The smuggling of drugs from across the border, both international and national, is not that much as what the home-made drugs is affecting the people here...and all this is done by Majithia...he is the head of the gang of goons,” he adds.
Capt Amarinder, moving onto his next destination, adds that he doesn’t consider Arun Jaitley a tough man to fight against. “I have fought 13 elections, and look at this guy...you don’t fight elections by coming in and saying that you are going to win 100 per cent. You fight for the sake of fight, sometimes you win sometimes you lose. Once you are in political fight, you got to fight,” says he as his convoy reaches MK International Hotel where his interactive session is arranged with the youngsters.
The energised youth bombards the former chief minister with a series of questions on the issues of deadly drug menace, dearth of employment opportunities, staggering education system, lacking women safety, and all that is troubling them.Assuring them of finding suitable solution to their problems, Capt Amarinder strikes the right cord with them, though some youngsters remain dissatisfied for their queries.
For a 70-plus man, attending as many as seven programmes in a single day, and addressing public rallies like any other election campaigning day, won’t be easy. But looking at Capt Amarinder, it seems so.