Royal treatment for people taken to political rallies

Surat: Political parties treat their supporters brought for such public meetings like proverbial son-in-law — from food, water and amount equivalent to their daily wages — it is virtually a day off for them merely to get a free ride including the freebies.
And what the parties have to belt out for the ‘coveted’ attendance is almost Rs500 per person for venues within 100 km.

In 2017 assembly election, a Surat candidate gathered nearly 4,000 people from his constituency for national leaders’ road show scheduled in Bharuch district. Interestingly, many among the crowd were found to be totally ignorant of the purpose behind the foot march by media!

Some were discreet, but the more garrulous were brazenly open about the the package of Rs 150 per head, Rs 50 for lunch and even another allowance for a ‘potli’ (liquor)! And what harms from raising a few slogans and walking a few kilometres in exchange for the all-expenses paid sightseeing, they said.

A political leader, not wishing to be named said that gathering of crowd in large number has become a practice for all political parties. “Every taluka has such assigned contractors who work for political parties and provides such crowd. There are large number of people including clusters of women with their children always waiting for such occasion to earn extra bucks”

Going by estimates, one person hired for a public meeting is paid Rs 300 to Rs 500 in cash per day. Bigger political parties could spend as much as Rs 2.5 crore for gathering a crowd of 50,000 to 60,000 people, pundits opine.