Deoghar/Dumka, Feb. 25: First she was Surpanekha, now Sonia Gandhi is Gandhari.
Delving into the epics yet again, former chief minister Babulal Marandi today likened the Congress president to the mother of the Kauravas. “If she would have been Gandhari and even more than hundreds of Kauravas contest the dharma yudh (read polls), both the mother and her sons would have to face defeat. Even if Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi jump into the poll fray, it will not make a difference,” Marandi said.
If this time Marandi found inspiration from the Mahabharata, a month ago he had taken a leaf out of the Ramayana, describing Sonia Gandhi as Surpanekha (Ravana’s sister) who was “luring” the Congressmen to believe that they could win the polls.
The former chief minister was addressing party workers who had assembled in Deoghar from different parts of Godda Lok Sabha constituency to attend a special training camp for booth management.
Marandi lashed out at both the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, which are close to sewing up a deal for the general elections.
“The JMM likes to spread terror and speaks the language of terror. Everyone in the state now knows the true colours of the party. So there is no point to get worried,” Marandi told the workers at the SKM Indoor Stadium in Dumka.
The BJP leader urged party workers to concentrate on the rural segments of their respective constituencies and chant the development mantra.
He pointed to the need to organise a well-planed booth committee for each polling station and asked the party workers to accelerate mass campaigning.
“Put up before the people the different welfare schemes that have been started for the first time since Independence in the much-neglected places like Santhal Parganas,” was his emotional appeal to the grassroots workers.
Marandi, who is the national vice-president of the BJP, reached Dumka in the morning from Deoghar where he had conducted a similar training camp for the Godda Lok Sabha constituency yesterday.
He was accompanied by state BJP president Abhay Kant Prasad, organising secretary Hridaynath Singh and outgoing party MP from Godda, Pradeep Yadav.
