Gowda overcomes his inability to communicate in Hindi through his Man Friday, CM Ibrahim, who is working as the virtual Hindi extension of the Prime Minister. Ibrahim was instrumental in turning the Gowda's lack of charisma into a virtue. Perhaps this was overdoing the prime minister's image of poor farmer's son but surprisingly, its constant hammering on villagers did make an impact. He eats like you, he dresses like you, he looks like you - kala-peela (black and yellow), Ibrahim told people with instant impact.
The Prime Minister says if your basic problems can be solved by constructing temples, he is willing to construct temples in every village. But building temples is not his goal, his goal is to make houses for the poor people, Ibrahim thunders, drawing as many zindabads for himself as for the Prime Minister.
Dotted with Sanskrit couplets on Hindu religion, Ibrahim tore to pieces the non-economic Hindu agenda of the BJP. In demagogy, Ibrahim perhaps left behind even the staunchest of Leftists: In cities, the government ensured water for bathing the pet dogs. 56,000 UP villages do not have drinking water. In cities, the electricity boards ensure power for airconditioning the houses, in the villages farmers do not get power even for four hours to run pumpsets. When my Prime Minister announced ten rupees subsidy on power for farmers Vajpayeeji objected saying it would cause losses to electricity boards.
The conclusion he drew from this for the benefit of the people that the BJP was committed to the urban rich whereas the Gowda government was committed to the rural masses.
Not once in his nine meetings spread over Monday and Tuesday did the Prime Minister even refer to, leave alone criticise, the BSP. It was left to Ibrahim to mildly criticise Mayawati. My sister! You had once had relationship with the BJP. What is the guarantee that you would not go with the BJP again, Ibrahim said in his characteristic dialogue-styled speeches. This was the only criticism against BSP.
Congress was not mentioned by name but Deve Gowda did refer to the plight of the poor in spite of the state having produced five prime ministers over the last fifty years. Some more veiled criticism was added by Ibrahim: Gowdaji did not rush to America or Russia after becoming Prime Minister. He came rushing to UP, to ask the farmers what they needed. Also, This Prime Minister does not have accounts in a Swiss bank. He opens his accounts in the hearts of the poor people. You will not find crores of rupees from the houses of his ministers.
While the capital was rife with reports of the likelihood of Congress withdrawing support from the UF government, the Prime Minister made it a campaign issue. He was careful enough not to blame it on the Congress.
Vajpayeeji says the UF government will fall once UP elections are over. But will Vajpayeeji tell me what is my fault that the government will fall?
Is it a sin to order instant payment of arrears of canegrowers by the mill owners? Is it a sin to reduce the price of fertiliser by Rs 100 per bag, or to reduce the price of tractors by Rs 33,000 ? Am I wrong in giving Rs 10 concession in power rates to farmers, in setting up Lok Pal, giving ten per cent reservation to poor of the upper caste? Will my government fall because I have ordered that Rs 50,000 should be paid to the family of truck drivers who die in accident?
The Prime Minister was able to achieve the objective of propagating his populist measures. At the same time, he send the message that if Congress withdrew support it would have to do that for a valid reason.
Several of the constituencies he visited had never received a Prime Minister, some had never seen a helicopter in their lives. Maharajganj at the Nepal border, which is known for its land-owners and their social-political nexus, for the first time heard a Prime Minister declare that in his raj only the tiller of the land would have the right over the produce, irrespective of whoever owned that land. The government was committed to land reforms, he said.At Khalilabad, Chillupar, Deoria, Varanasi, Behraich, Gopamau, Mohammedabad, Fatehpur and Rae Bareilley the crowds ranged between five thousand to thirty thousand. Since the Prime Minister was not accompanied by any state level leaders, neither were any of them present at the meeting sites, the crowds were almost captive for the Prime Minister.
One man who was able to take advantage of this was Union civil aviation minister CM Ibrahim - the only public figure accompanying the Prime Minister. Chand Mia Ibrahim drew as much applause as the Prime Minister and was recognised by the people.
At several places, people even started dispersing after Ibrahim's speech even while the Prime Minister was making his speech. Deve Gowda's grueling campaign schedule may not ensure instant victory for the United Front, but the non-Hindi speaking poor farmer's son from down south has been able to do in UP what pundits in Hindi would find difficult - he has been able to establish an instant rapport with the rural masses. I promise you I will come back to you in four months and speak to you in Hindi. Prime Minister or no Prime Minister, I am going to stay in Delhi and remain in national politics. I will soon tour the entire country Gowda assures people seeking to broaden his image of a state level leader.
