BSP workers, supporters carry flexes of leaders home after Nawanshahr rally

Deepkamal Kaur

Nawanshahr, May 24

A unique trend was observed soon after the rally of BSP supremo Mayawati ended at Nawanshahr this afternoon. The moment the party chief left the stage and workers started coming out, many of them were seen walking past the road carrying huge 10-feet flexes of the leaders over their heads.

When curiously quizzed as to where they were taking these flexes of Mayawati, party founder Kanshi Ram and the architect of Indian Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar, many of them said that they were going to put these in their drawing room. Asked if they did not find them too big, Pardeep, a middle-aged supporter from Nurmahal in Jalandhar said, “We shall get them fitted somehow. They shall surely adorn our houses, if not inside then at the entrance or as backdrop to our covered frontal verandahs.”

A villager from Ahlowal, Malwinder, who took help from two young boys to carry the flex to his vehicle, said, “We have built a new hall in our village. We want to deck up its main wall. I shall put up this full-size poster of our revered leader Kanshi Ram there.”

Other than the flexes of these big leaders, the posters of social reformers like Narayan Guru, Chhatrapati Shahu and Jyotiba Rao Phule were also put up to invoke their spirit. Mayawati took the names of all these leaders in her speech.

As the workers were pulling out these flexes, the members of a task force of about 100 party workers from Punjab, Delhi and UP who had been managing the crowds and ensuring that there was complete discipline also did not stop them from taking them away.

Jalandhar candidate Balwinder Kumar and state president Jasvir Garhi contesting from Anandpur Sahib charged up the crowds. Dr Ritu Singh, a young BSP candidate from Chandigarh, also drew huge applause.

Songs eulogising Mayawati were played aloud for the visitors by the orchestra team. Some of the lyrics were “Bhen Mayawati jisda hai naam, Sachi muchi devi lagdi”.

Mayawati’s dais was set up at a point where ACs had been installed so that she remained comfortable during her 15-minute speech.

She had arrived via a chopper from Chandigarh airport which landed about a km from the rally site.

She was made to sit on a sofa separate and far away from the 13 candidates of Punjab, four from HP and one from Chandigarh.

Slogans chanted

Several slogans were chanted during the rally, the most common being ‘Jai Bheem, Jai Bharat’. In praise of party supremo, the slogans used were ‘Desh ki neta kaisi ho, Mayawati jaisi ho’ and ‘Bhenji tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare sath hain’ and ‘Bahujan ke samman mein, Bhenji maidan mein’.