The local BJP leadership hopes the repeat of Amethi in Baramati, but the situation is not the same. (PTI)Focusing on Maharashtra’s Baramati to end the Pawar family’s stronghold as that of the Gandhi family in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, the efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to capture the Lok Sabha constituency in 2024 and sending Nirmala Sitharaman to create ground for it is not likely to be the same due to the language barrier between the Union Finance Minister and the constituency’s rural base.
Sitharaman, who is on three-day tour of the Baramati constituency from Thursday, attended eight programmes during which she met the local party cadres, office-bearers and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) representatives.
The programmes were mainly in the urban stretch of Pune city that falls in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency.
The local BJP leadership hopes the repeat of Amethi in Baramati, but the situation is not the same.
Amethi was a Hindi speaking belt and Union Minister Smriti Irani has a good command over the language. Besides, she was an established television star, who could easily connect with the people.
In Baramati, the people can communicate in Hindi but Sitharaman does not have command over Hindi and neither on the Marathi language. She can communicate in English, but the locals cannot understand the language.
The people, who are more comfortable in the Marathi language, are unable to convey their opinion to Sitharaman due to the language barrier. They are trying to reach out by speaking in the Hindi language but still find hurdles as the Union Finance Minister is not much comfortable in it.
On being informed about the BJP deputing Sitharaman for the Baramati Lok Sabha seat, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar had last week commented on the communication problems likely between Sitharaman and the locals.
Responding to Pawar’s remarks, Sitharaman said: “Baramati citizens are listening to me and acknowledging by clapping to whatever I say. They are able to understand.”
It was, however, noticed in her day one tour that the party cadres struggle to convey their point clearly to Sitharaman and were also unable to get everything that she was communicating.
A BJP legislator pointed out to her the local cadre is taking on Pawar but the efforts fail when senior leaders visiting Baramati praise the development work when it actually it is not there.
Sitharaman said there will be full cooperation from the national and state unit to the local cadre, adding they should prepare for the Lok Sabha elections without hesitation.
On the issue of uncertainty in declaring the party’s candidate till last minute, the Finance Minister said there will not be any issue on it now and the BJP’s national unit will provide all help to the locals to strengthen the party.
When asked about her responsibility to prepare the BJP to take on Pawar, Sitharaman said that she was in Baramati to strengthen the party and not with an agenda to focus on any family.
It would be interesting to note her tour in the rural part and Baramati town Friday. On the second day, she plans to visit the Khandoba temple in Jejuri followed by a meeting with the party’s elected representatives in local bodies.
She will visit the primary health centre in Morgaon and the BJP office in Baramati town. Sitharaman will later hold discussions with the social workers, cooperative sector representatives and traders in Baramati. She will also visit the local leaders in some nearby villages in the evening.