Many disappointed at not being able to meet their MP

RAE BARELI: Shiv Kumar Sonkar, 55, woke up quite early on Wednesday, took a quick bath, finished his breakfast in a hurry and put on a new kurta-pajama as he planned to rush to Bhuemau guest house in Rae Bareli to meet UPA chairperson and local MP Sonia Gandhi who was visiting her Lok Sabha constituency, Rae Bareli, after nearly two years.

But Sonkar had to be content with briefly meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi instead. Sonia Gandhi interacted with only a select number of people.

“We had been told to reach before 8am to meet madam (Sonia Gandhi) but we could not see her even remotely,” a disappointed Sonkar said.

Many other party workers and locals felt let down as they could not captured a glimpse of their MP.

“We were all too eager to meet madam who had come after a long time, but we were not allowed to meet her,” Veena Mishra, a district Congress committee officebearer, said tearfully.

“We wish we had only a glimpse of her,” she said as several of her women colleagues echoed the same sentiments.

Ram Bahadur and KK Singh, block-level Congress functionaries, said: “We had come not to bother her for anything but to have a look at her since we had not seen her face to face for a long time.”

People said only Rahul Gandhi met visitors, received their representations and issued directions to the staff accordingly while Sonia Gandhi was at some other place in the same guesthouse, avoiding meeting people in general. “I managed to meet Rahul ji in connection with the treatment of my fractured leg, but could not get to see madam,” said Rakesh Kumar, a Dalit.

Around 10.30, a SUV zoomed out of the guesthouse with Sonia Gandhi on the front seat with folded hands and a smile on her face while she was going to inaugurate the new passport office and that was the only consolation for some people who stayed put at the guesthouse gate.

A local Congress leader, who did not wish to be identified, said Sonia Gandhi chose not to meet too many people because of health reasons. “Doctors have advised her to stay away from the crowed for the fear of her catching an infection,” he said.

Locals said it the first time when Sonia Gandhi introduced her son to the people of her constituency, allowing him to listen to their grievances while she remained in the background.

Aditi Singh, the Rae Bareli Sadar MLA who was inside the guesthouse, said, “Soniaji met many senior party leaders and workers but it is not possible to allow everyone to meet her for security reasons. Her visit as an MP of her constituency was overdue and it should be seen like that only.”