Congress needs a Kejriwal or Modi to reverse Etawah fortunes: Local leaders

ETAWAH: A win is Etawah has eluded Congress for long. Between 1957, when it became a Lok Sabha seat, to 2009, the party has won this seat only in 1962, ’71 and 1984. No Gandhi scion has been ableto infuse life into its Etawah unit.

“Congress cut its feet, when it supported the Mulayam Singh Yadav led minority government in 1990,” said Ashok Dubey, former legislator and MLC from Etawah Sadar, a keen political observer. “In the events that led the Mandir-Mandal movement later, Mulayam played the caste and communal card well and systematically destroyed Congress from place like Etawah. Once number two in the seat, Congress’ core voters migrated to BJP, BSP and SP. It is yet to recover from that loss,” added Dubey.

Etawah District Congress president Sooraj Singh Yadav told ET that SP’s coming to power in the state spelled doom for Congress leaders and activists in Yadav strongholds. “Many leaders were implicated in false criminal cases and others were coaxed into joining SP,” said Yadav.

“Ravindra Singh Chauhan, Darshan Singh Yadav, Gauri Shankar, Sukhdha Mishra, Balram Singh Yadav were all Congress leaders who won either the Etawah Lok Sabha seat or assembly segment. All joined SP because first SP administration would not let them work and later they would be lured to join the ruling establishment.” Local Congress leaders said they felt cheated and dismayed when their party accepted SP support at the Centre.

“We are fighting their abuse of power and the central leadership was shaking hands with the tyrant in New Delhi. How do we explain it to our cadre?” said one Congress leader, requesting anonymity.

Congress leaders admitted they have no hope. They said it would require a miracle to infuse life into the unit. “India runs on hero worship. We would need a hero like Kejriwal or Modi who can turn the tide,” said Congress district president.