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| Sunday Market, Pulse Polio drive prove blessing for PDP rally in Srinagar | | Timing, venue for membership drive prove cynics wrong | | Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Feb 21: Even as a major gunfight was underway between security forces and militants in the saffron town of Pampore, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) rally in Srinagar witnessed "huge turnout" at the SK Park venue here near the city center.
The rally venue clashed with the weekly Sunday Market, which is held next to the park, and there was also a Pulse Polio immunization drive underway. But the two events proved blessing for the PDP function.
Huge crowds, including shoppers and parents cuddling kids, who had just been administered polio drops, thronged the SK Park to listen to PDP President Mehbooba during her first major public address since the demise of her father and the then Chief Minister, Mufti Muhammad Sayeed's onJanuary 7. PDP today launched its state membership drive from the municipal park here.
Sources said in the wake of Fidayeen attack on the Pampore highway, the Srinagar police wanted to keep the Sunday Market closed for the day, in a bid to improve arrangements for the PDP rally.
But PDP leadership is understood to have conveyed to the concerned that the rally should in no way hamper anyone's earnings particularly that of the pavement vendors who earn their livelihood on the weekends.
And, finally the plan worked, though the market was held at some distance from regular spot. A huge number of shoppers from the Sunday Market walked into the park to hear to the leaders of the party, who since the demise of Mufti, have been hesitant to continue alliance with the rightwing BJP.
"I am neither a PDP worker nor the one who wants to join this party but the curiosity to listen to its leaders made me stand near the fence as I happened to be around," said Aijaz Ahmed of Hassanabad locality of downtown. He said his purpose of having come to the area was to do some shopping from the makeshift market where second hand imported goods mostly clothes and shoes are sold. "I brought a sweater."
Same was true for people like Tanveer Khan, a shopper, who spend around an hour giving ear to what the PDP leaders had to say.
The Pulse Polio drive equally proved a reason for many pouring into the venue. "I had taken my son to Sonawar hospital to administer polio drops, midway back home, I saw the rally and thought why not to listen to the speech from the party which is yet to form the government," said Muhammad Ismail, as his four year old son kept pulling father's Phiran "Papa Ghar Chalo!"
Meanwhile atleast two PDP leaders were seen not having a penny to donate for the party membership drive and subsequently borrowed Rs 100 each from their party colleagues to make the donations.
This made some in the audience laugh. "If this is their financial condition, who has been funding the party then," quipped an onlooker.
Even as the municipal park remained crowded, some of the PDP leaders said they didn't have expectation of overwhelming participation in the rally. "Given the tension, we expected the rush to be less, but then things worked," said a PDP leader.
Meanwhile a group of women carrying kids in their laps walked towards the PDP rally venue. "Are polio drops being administered here?" they told the people at the entrance. "This is not vaccination booth. This is PDP membership drive venue," replied a party worker. The women then happened to have a look at the PDP banners around. "Oh Sorry! Like the previous polio drive when rumours had created tension, we thought something is wrong!" |
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