Raebareli (UP): At Raebareli, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi along with his sister Priyanka makes a grand appearance, after alighting from a chopper that has carried him all the way from Fursatganj. Their entry is lustily cheered by loud, unruly and raucous crowds, and on the stage that is burdened with the combined weight of the assemblage of local Congress grandees, the brother-sister duo is showered with shawls and bouquets by one local leader after another who waste no time in extolling the shining virtues of the Gandhi family.
But elections in 2019 are more than two years away and only Priyanka — who, after accepting all the gifts, sits quietly on the dais, perhaps not to steal her brother's thunder — knows what's on her mind. FULL COVERAGE: Assembly Elections 2017
"Modiji came like Shah Rukh Khan from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge promising big change but became Sholay's Gabbar Singh," says Rahul as he leads his speech slowly to what he says are the adverse effects of demonetisation on India's farmers.
Dilwale! Sholay! Shah Rukh! Gabbar! Is this an impromptu class in India's cinema history? Or is Rahul impressed by his partner Akhilesh's plans to open an FTII-style institute in Lucknow?
Standing atop blistered, scaly and sooty buildings, the people of Raebareli perhaps wanted a different vision for themselves. Something soothing but less magical and more real. They were disappointed and started heading out of the venue in large numbers.
Rahul finishes his speech by thanking everyone and moves on to his next destination, flying with his sister in his whirlybird. The sense of hopelessness and dejection has not lifted at all.
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