Trichy:
Tamil Nadu is one state where the Rahul charisma is having a huge impact on the Youth Congress. A visit last year and 13 lakh youngsters enrolled. The magic seems to continue.
So when Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi flew in to oversee organisational elections on Wednesday, they got a rousing welcome. "This will definitely strengthen the Congress in Tamil Nadu, particularly at the ward and panchayat level," a Congressman said.
The energised cadres are already demanding a better deal from their ally, the DMK, in the Assembly polls due next year. Congress workers want their pound of flesh.
Sarubala Thonadaiman, former Mayor of Trichy, said: "Yes the Congress has grown a lot in Tamil Nadu and next time certainly we will seek more seats."
This puts the ruling DMK is in a tricky situation in. Many of DMK's allies have walked out and the state government depends on the Congress for its survival. A stronger Congress puts it at a disadvantage in the partnership.
On record, however, the DMK says it is not worried. The Congress gaining in strength after Rahul Gandhi's personal intervention will help the alliance as a whole, party leaders say.
Eye firmly on elections, Rahul, meanwhile, is going about consolidating and building on his gains. When a Youth Congress member Rajesh suggested on Wednesday that the Congress could fight the polls alone in Tamil Nadu, where it has been out of power since 1967, Gandhi simply smiled.
When asked by a girl, Harini, "What is the use of being a member of the Youth Congress," Gandhi said: "Members of Youth Congress will have bright future and be given responsibilities if they are intelligent, hardworking and entered into the team to be formed by it," Gandhi said.
He said the members of the team would be given intense training in various aspects and the best among them would be given responsibilities. "They will be used even during the General Elections," he promised.
Rahul, who arrived along with sister Priyanka, visited the polling booth at the YMCA Hall and shook hands with some of the voters and greeted his partymen.
At Kattur counting centre, he asked those engaged in counting to show the ballot papers to the candidates and appreciated "the good arrangements" for the elections. He also congratulated one of the winners, Subbulakshmi, at Kattur.
During his three-day visit last year, on a mission to revive the party in Tamil Nadu, Gandhi had sought the support of the youth to change the way politics work in the state.
Local panchayat President Vijaya Sekar congratulated the Congress for getting the Women's Bill passed (in Rajya Sabha) and said it indicated how progressive the party was.
When asked by another party worker whether there would be elections for the state unit of the party also, Gandhi said, "We can convey whatever you say to the high command. It has to decide on elections to other bodies".
Responding to a suggestion by A Nagarajan, local farmers' wing secretary of the party, that the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme be used for the development of the farm sector, the AICC leader said, "We will ask the government to consider it."
Meanwhile, state Vice-President of the Mahila wing of the Congress Lakshmi alleged a group of women members led by her were removed by the Special Branch Police when they were waiting on a road to submit a memorandum to Gandhi on "irregularities" in the Youth Congress elections in Kattur.
Talking to reporters, Lakshmi alleged that the election process was bogus and demanded a fresh poll.
She said police removed the women members to a nearby police station and detained them till Gandhi left the city.
Tight security arrangements had been made for the visit of Gandhi with 1,500 policemen deployed on security duty at all the vulnerable places.
(with PTI inputs)