Bharthana, (Etawah), April 3
Rahul Gandhi is facing a tough competition from Hema Malini who has started campaigning for the BJP candidate. Yet in the heart of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s fiefdom, an impressive crowd, especially of young men, came to hear the youthful MP from Amethi.

Braving the heat in the rough terrain of Bharthana, just 17 km away from Chambal, people awaited at Gopiram Dixit rice mill compound for Gandhi, who arrived almost three hours behind schedule today.

In his barely 10-minute address, Rahul appealed to the youth to change their mindset if they wanted to change their situation. Recalling the historical role the Congress had played during the freedom struggle, he said the state was a major theatre for most of the action and a foremost beneficiary in the early years after the Independence.

During the past 15 years of the non-Congress rule, the state had slipped from 3rd position to 20th positions in terms of development, pointed out Gandhi. This was happening despite the Central government of Dr Manmohan Singh providing 40 per cent of the state funds, said Gandhi.

Appealing to the youth to fulfil their special responsibility to the future of the area, Gandhi assured them of all support. “Please choose a party that will work for the development of everyone of you present here and not just a handful of people”, declared Gandhi. Local Congress candidate Ajay Yadav, son of former Union minister Balram Singh Yadav, thanked the crowd for coming in such large numbers and refusing to be lured away by Hema Malini.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, who arrived by a helicopter a little while before Gandhi, brought along with him the dream girl of Bollywood to address a public meeting in support of BJP candidate Prem Singh Yadav.

While Congress and BJP flags and posters were visible in Bharthana, local residents admit that the main fight remains between the SP candidate Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP candidate Shiv Prasad Yadav.

As Bharthana has been part of the VVIP constituency of Etawah, it has been pampered with uninterrupted supply of power during Yadav’s regime. Safai, the ancestral village of Chief Minister Yadav, is 45 km away. CM’s brother Shivpal Singh Yadav is contesting from nearby Jaswant Singh Nagar also in Etawah district.