Rahul fails to enthuse

Contrary to expectations, the much-publicised Rahul Gandhi’s election rallies in the district today proved to be a damp squib.

Though the Congress spared no efforts to mobilise people in big numbers, Rahul could not hold their attention. This was because the speech glaringly lacked force.

The Congress star campaigner addressed two meetings, one in the port city and the other at Anakapalle but as he was not very aggressive in underscoring the points he wanted to make and could not hold the attention of the audience for long. The young leader did not bother to focus on issues that related to the State or city but spoke at length on the Congress and its policies without any specifics. Though his interpreter and Rajahmundry MP Vundavalli Arunkumar tried his best to infuse vitality into the content, it did not do the trick.

He told the audience that people in rural India held the key to formation of a good democratic government and therefore they should take active interest in exercising their franchise and support the Congress. ``The Congress was born for the welfare of the masses in rural areas. India’s development could be seen only in rural areas and the people in villages cherished and protected the nation’s tradition and culture,’’ he pointed out.

“I entered politics to help the poor. Irrespective of caste, religion and region, I will always work for empowerment of the poor who are the real strength of the nation. The BJP criticised me when I took a minister from the UK to rural areas in Uttar Pradesh to show him the strength of India. The Congress alone stands for the poor,’’ he said.

“The disadvantage of the poor is that they would not get as many opportunities as those who live in the urban areas for growth. The Congress has been trying to create equal opportunities for the poor. To perpetuate this, I entered public life,’’ he claimed. Terming D Purandeswari, who is contesting from the Visakhapatnam Lok sabha constituency on Congress candidate, as a representative of the young blood, Rahul appealed to the gathering to vote her.