Garhpalasuni, a nondescript village, tucked in far corner of the backward and Maoist-hit Kankadahad block in Dhenkanal district, would normally remain sleepy. But in the last few days it has sprung to life with many incidents happening, the most important of them was on Saturday, when Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s chopper landed at the village greeted with thunderous applause by thousands of fans.
Pradhan attended a Central Government programme of distribution of cooking gas to the BPl women under the Ujjwala scheme. Apart from Pradhan, there were officials of the oil companies and former Dhenkanal MP Rudra Narayan Pani. But down the stage, hundreds of BJP leaders and supporters had swarmed up. BJP flags were hung at every nook and corner while huge cutouts of Pradhan were ruling the roost. The whole village was flooded with posters and banners welcoming the Oil Minister.
The gullible villagers of the locality were curious for they had hardly seen a stage as big as the present one and so many outsiders trotting in and around the stage, easily distinguishable by their dressing and talk.
It was almost a week-long preparation for the stage to be built and all necessary arrangements to be made. Trucks carrying huge loads of bamboo and other logistics kept coming to the village for days together.
A huge auditorium with seating arrangements for over 1,000, besides giant lCDs, ceiling and standing fans, luxurious lightings and ear-splitting sound systems were a first of kind experience for the villagers. The stage was built and managed professionally with special firms hired.
At a handshaking distance, a temporary helipad had been erected for the Minister copper’s landing. Around it a huge barricade had been built. A day before mock drill of the chopper was conducted. For the whole week before, the village was a frequent destination for officials, police, and party leaders and workers.
The Minister’s arrival time was 11.30 am. However, since morning villagers from far and wide came to the venue in droves. For, many of them knew that the Minister was not just visiting with empty-hands; a feast for thousands had been arranged and about 2,000 women were to receive cooking gas. It was like an occasion of a grand wedding feast!
Pradhan arrived at the venue at around 1 pm. He was first to jump from the chopper waving hands at the crowd. The late was due to a meeting the Minister had attended earlier in Pallahara. He was also to attend a few more such meetings on the day.
No sooner did the meeting begin, than half of the people started melting away; running towards the feast venue, now that they had been hungry and tired for having to wait for long hours.
The meeting stood for glitz and glamour. It seemed the villagers now under cash crunch stress got a chance for change of mood. The irony is that when we have forced common people to suffer due to demonetization which is claimed as part of a crusade against black money, very few raise a voice against political funding which helps run big shows, said an intellectual.