New Delhi, May 5 (Inditop) Did Congress MP Avtar Singh Bhadana, seeking to be re-elected from Faridabad, forget that he was addressing a public rally not an internal party meet? It certainly seemed so when he made a plea to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to stop infighting in the party in front of thousands of voters.
All seasoned politicians will agree that dissent and internal bickering has cost many a candidate his seat. And Bhadana, who is finding it difficult to convince Congress legislators from Faridabad region to support him, probably knows this more than anybody else.
And so it was that a beleaguered Bhadana laid bare his tensions at an election rally, which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was supposed to attend but couldn’t because of the inclement weather in Faridabad Monday.
Appealing to Hooda, he said the leaders had won because of the party but were now backstabbing him. He requested the chief minister to ensure the Congress’ win by stopping the infighting.
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‘Papu pass ho gaya’
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi left most journalists attending his press conference in the capital impressed with his articulate answers and composure even in the face of uncomfortable questions.
And they were forced to admit over the post conference tea at the convention hall of the Ashoka Hotel — “aaj pappu paas ho gaya”. The reference was, of course, to the popular Hindi film song from “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na”.
Dressed in his usual white kurta pyjama, the Gandhi scion took on a range of questions, from the Left and the Congress’ electoral prospects to black money and the Janata Dal-United (JD-U).
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Hear Hooda, insist Haryana cops
The turnout was dismal at the Congress rally in Haryana Monday, so low that Haryana police had to intervene to ensure that the crowd stayed put during Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s address.
After all the Congress leaders had addressed the meeting in Faridabad, it was finally Hooda’s turn. But people had gathered to hear Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who couldn’t make it because of the sudden rain, and started getting restive.
Seeing the crowd dispersing, alert Haryana cops swung into action and didn’t let them leave. Finally, the crowd was allowed to go only after Hooda had addressed the election rally.
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Vote and get free contact lenses
In a bid to encourage youth to come out and vote, Bausch and Lomb has announced it will give free contact lenses to students who exercise their franchise.
Under the Bausch and Lomb’s ‘Vote for Your Vision’ promotion, 5,000 students from Delhi and Chennai, where polling is slated for May 7 and 13, respectively, would get a free pair of Bausch and Lomb daily disposable contact lenses.
It’s as simple as showing the indelible ink mark and their student ID cards.
“This promotion is aimed at increasing commitment towards voting among student voters,” said Managing Director Bausch & Lomb India Harish Natarajan.
“This promotion by Bausch and Lomb is an effort to encourage and award the responsible college students, with the hope that a small appreciation may create a responsible citizen for years to come,” Natarajan added.
Spykar, Full Circle, Cafe Turtle and others have announced similar ‘democracy discounts’ to attract young voters.
rounak