Two massive rallies of BJP and Congress addressed by their top leaders PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi have enthused the workers n leaders of both the parties. Neck to Neck fight seems to be in the offing

The rallies of the two towering leaders of the national parties viz Bhartiya Janata Party and Congress at Dehradun had added a new n hectic flavour to the election campaigning in Uttarakhand with the regional leaders of both the parties trying to downgrade the rallies of rival parties terming them as flop and of no significance despite the hard fact that there were jam-packed attendance in both the rallies addressed by prime minister Narendra Modi on 4 th December and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. However, the fact of the matter is that both these top leaders of BJP and Congress have not touched upon the regional issues of Uttarakhand but dwelt on national issues trying to exploit the ” FAUJI SENTIMENTS and nationalist issues to exploit the emotions and sentiments of the electorates of Uttarakhand.

The recent tragic sad demise of former Army general and chief of the defence staff Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Raje Singh and eleven senior Army and Air force officers including soldiers accompanying in the army chopper that crashed at Nilgiri hills in Coonor, Tamilnadu was the main issue raised in the meeting paying their tributes n expressing deepest condolences and connecting themselves n their parties with the supreme sacrifices of the brave hearts of Uttarakhand the nation with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi saying that Uttarakhand has shed the maximum blood for the nation including the Nehru Gandhi family as his grandmother the then PM Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi died for the nation as our brave hearts are martyred in the line of duty. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi even went to the extent of criticising the present ruling political dispensation for not mentioning the name of late Prime minister Indira Gandhi whose contribution to divide Pakistan was unparalleled n who took 32 bullets while laying down her life for the nation.

The issue of commemoration of Indo Pak War of 1971 creating a new nation Bangladesh on 16 th December also dominated as Rahul addressed a massive Vijay Rally at Dehradun in Delhi the prime minister laid his tributes to the sacrificed jawans n officers of defence Forces in 1971 war. While, BJP and Congress leaders in Uttarakhand are in highly enthusiastic mode having enhanced their election campaigning in various parts of Uttarakhand after these two rallies of Congress n BJP addressed by their top leadership, the third n first time entrant in Uttarakhand elections Aam Admi Party is also busy campaigning with its national convenor and Delhi CM busy in announcing freebies to entice the voters of Uttarakhand.

Till date Aam Admi Party is the only political outfit which has announced at least five important populist measures of freebies viz giving free electricity up to 300 units consumption in a month, Rs 5000 to unemployed youths of Uttarakhand on monthly basis, assurance of creating one lakh jobs in six months, delivery of Rs 1000 to each and every women above 18 years of age and free yatras to senior citizens with free lodging and boarding facilities in good hotels to Ayodhya, Ajmer Sharif, Vaishno Devi, Shridhi Sai Naba temple n Char Dhams etc. These announcements have associated majority of youths and wome to their party fold claim AAP leaders of Uttarakhand.

There are also reports that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has while interacting with the Congress leaders in a room on the side of the state at Dehradun Rally Parade ground has clearly instructed all the warring factions to unite forgetting their personal vested interests and unitedly fight the BJP if they really want to see the party emerging victorious at the hustings.

According to party insiders Rahul’s clear cut annoyance and directions over the ongoing intra party squabbles coming in the open had damaged the party reputation to a great extent making mockery of the infighting Congress leaders. Rahul catagorically said thag they should mend their ways or ne ready to face the consequences.

It may be recalled that the former CM and senior most leader of Congress in Uttarakhand Harish Rawat and the leader of opposition in the Uttarakhand assembly are not in good terms leading to formation of two rival groups with the party downgrading each other. Rahul’s instructions for unity is in a way clear instructions for Pritam Singh n others to fall in line with senior leader Harish Rawat. There are also reports that senior Congress leader Kishore Upadhyay is also not in good terms with Harish Rawat and vice versa.