Visits to four states and 50 Lok Sabha constituencies in the Hindi belt. An endless series of rallies of tribal, students, farmers and workers. And confabulations with leaders of his own and opposition parties. All in the space of one month, It is clearly campaign time for Janata Dal President Vishwanath Pratap Singh. Said he: “removing the Rajiv Gandhi Government is the biggest challenge of my life. And all my energies are now being channeled to achieve that objective.”

It’s a tough objective. The odds are heavily against him. Pitted against him is the gargantuan might of the Government and the formidable power of the electronic media. At the same time, he has to reckon with the squabbling among various pressure groups in the Janata Dal. Yet Singh remains unfazed pushing ahead with grit and rugged tenacity.

His rival used aero planes and helicopters in themselves, successful crowd pullers. Singh employed. humbler means. In his own home state, Uttar Pradesh, he used a bicycle. The aim was obvious: to identify himself with the toiling masses. And the crowds responded. As they did to his puns and biting ridicule. Singh did not abuse Rajiv Gandhi. Nor did he hurl vituperation against Doordarshan. He preferred to call it “jhoothdar shan” or “Rajiv Darshan”. The effect was more devastating. And instead of longwinded speeches, he threw questions to his audience who delighted in answering them. The rapport which the dialogue established was excellent.

The strategy was evident all through the last month. In a hectic ‘one month spell of campaigning beginning September 5, Singh participated in 17 big rallies including an excruciating bicycle rally in western Uttar Pradesh immediately after which he fell ill.

The first round of rallies was in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The state, Singh knows, could possibly decide the outcome of the elections. Even more, it could set the mood for the entire Hindi belt. Not surprisingly, he singled it out for special attention. And the move seemed to have paid off. The public response was impressive and political observers are already talking of a “VP wave” raging through the state,

After the first round of campaigning, he hopped to the capital on September 12 to address a lunchtime meeting of government employees along with BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee’s oratory with Singh’s question and answer dialogue with the audience.

The next day, it was the leftists who came in for attention. Singh, along with Devi Lal, held talks with West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu, known to be the most pragmatic of the Marxist leaders. The objective: an electoral adjustment including both the left and the right that would confront the ruling Congress (1) with a single candidate in every constituency.

Next stop: Nagpur, where Singh addressed several rallies. Back in Delhi, Singh, with a galaxy of opposition leaders excluding the CPI (M), addressed a mammoth rally to celebrate Haryana Chief Minister Devi Lal’s birthday.

Then, on to Rajasthan for a two day tour along with Devi Lal. The rise in the prices of sugar and other essential commodities formed a major feature of his attack on the Government here.

Sarnath was next on the itinerary. The occasion: the centenary celebration of Acharya Narendra Dev, doyen of the socialist movement in India. And finally, a trip to Gujarat.

Indeed, Singh is like a man who believes that his destiny is to fight. And though his adversary has sophisticated weaponry at his disposal, Singhris slowly discovering that it cruet both ways.

Doordarshan, for instance. For Rajiv Gandhi, it provides access to a nationwide audience. And since fair play is not an article of faith with the ruling party, Singh can be freely attacked without fear of retaliation. But that very lack of restraint has boomeranged. An over kill of propaganda against Singh on doordarshan has aroused, at the very minimum, curiosity, and of ten, sympathy for him. Un wittingly, the Government media has made a martyr out of him.

Also, unlike Rajiv Gandhi, Singh has neither VIP admirers nor rings of security personnel who prevent him from reaching out to the people. In the end, that could make a crucial difference.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 24, 1989