Subodh Kant woos tribals, minority communities

RANCHI: Subodh Kant Sahay, the Congress candidate for Ranchi parliamentary seat, is trying to strike a chord with minorities and tribal communities to get an edge over his competitiors.
The 67-year-old, who lost to BJP’s Ram Tahal Choudhary by nearly 2 lakh votes five years ago, is walking the extra mile this time to cash in on the voices of dissent against BJP governments in the state and at the Centre.
A former Union minister, Sahay has his task cut out in the run-up to May 6, the polling day.
After taking a whirlwind tour of rural pockets in the constituency, he hit the streets of the state capital recently.
Clad in his traditional white kurta and black bandi, Sahay took to the streets of Dhurwa on a bright day and toured the semi-rural settlements in Jagannathpur, Girja Nagar and Lanka Colony.
With door-to-door visits over in Dhurwa, Sahay rolled in to high court premises to hold a meeting with lawyers under the aegis of High Court Bar Council. Excitement was palpable among advocates, who were waiting to interact with him. Here, Sahay attacked BJP alleging it had tried to destroy the judiciary. “For the first time, four judges of the Supreme Court came out in public and said all is not well in the judiciary. BJP is attacking the judiciary, democracy and its institutions,” he said.
Next, Sahay’s olive-coloured SUV set off for Bagicha Toli in Tupudana, 15 kilometers from high court. Sahay pulled over at a playground next to a hospital. There, over 100 tribal youths patiently waited for him under a pitched tent as afternoon sun baked the landscape.
Amar Nath Lakra, a local, posed tough questions to the veteran. “The mahagathbandhan is under the impression that it will get most of the tribal votes. But the fact is, the leaders have to reach out to the masses. Demands of tribal communities have been glossed over in their manifestos. For instance, no opposition party promised to reverse the ordinance on Forest Rights Act,” Lakra said.
Sahay hit the roads of Dhurwa again in the evening. Hours later, the Congress candidate stepped into a community hall in Muslim-dominated Hindpiri area in the heart of the city. Here, men and women sat in wait for him. Akhtar Ali, a local, said: “There is the issue of employment and basic amenities. But more than anything, we want security. The people here are living in fear... Subodh bhaiya is our choice.”