Grand reception, but little audience for Advani in Aurangabad

Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Aurangabad

Bharatiya Janata Party president L K Advani's Swarna Jayanti Rath Yatra received a warm welcome at Hingoli, Marathwada, on the 16th day of his yatra with over 10,000 people standing in the blazing sun with temperatures hitting 45 degrees centigrade.

Not bad, compared to Nanded where there were just about half that number came. At Hingoli, he repeated his call to wipe out corruption and bring in a clean government.

Jalna was even more enthusiastic than Hingoli, covering walls with posters of Advani and hanging BJP flags and streamers everywhere.

People in the bylanes called to Advani as the rathpassed on the main roads. There was enthusiasm, yes, but no fire. Advani got a patient listening, except when he extolled Veer Savarkar and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Then the crowd clapped and cried slogans like Bharat mata ki jai.

After his speech in Jalna, he drove to Aurangabad where about 20,000 people came to receive him at the Marathwada Sanskrit Mandal Maidan. This is a goodish number, considering that 60 per cent of the city's population is Muslim with many of the Hindus being affiliated to the Shiv Sena.

But it was clear the crowd preferred Pramod Mahajan to Advani. For when Mahajan left the podium to make way for Advani, many people left the ground. The problem according to a local, Jitendra Samshedi, Advani does not speak Marathi; Mahajan does.

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