SEPTEMBER 1: Being a person of foreign origin is not a handicap for Sonia (nee Maino) in Punjab but being a Gandhi is. The daughter-in-law of Indira Gandhi conjures up visions of Operation Bluestar and November riots and the party is acutely aware of it. Posing as another Indira, with that carefully modulated voice and the pallu over the head, may work wonders in Bellary but in Punjab it can boomerang.In fact, even a poster of Indira Gandhi at Sonia's Patiala rally had got a section of the crowd agitated. So Sonia has avoided mentioning her mother-in-law in her speeches in the state so far. Instead, she dwells on the pain that she has experienced. ``Punjab ke logon ke saath mere parivar ka rishta alag hai,'' (the relationship my family enjoys with Punjab is different) said Sonia Gandhi at Ludhiana, beginning her address. The entire emphasis was on how both the people of Punjab and Sonia herself had suffered because of violence. ``We have both suffered because of violence and thus can understand each otherbetter,'' is her refrain.She may be making a mark but it's difficult to shake off the ghosts of Operation Bluestar and the November riots. ``Sonia is not Indira,'' concedes Gurnam Singh, a salesman who was at the Ludhiana rally. However, he wants Sonia to apologise for the two events. Others like Gurcharan Singh Bakshi who suffered during the 1984 riots in Delhi and has since then migrated to Jalandhar consider Sonia to be no different. ``After all she is a Gandhi and the Sikhs have suffered because of them.'' It is the same party and the same people running the show in the Congress and Sonia will implement their policies only, he feels.That her visits have been restricted to election meetings rankles many. ``She has not visited the Golden Temple so far and visits Punjab only during elections,'' says Anmol Sodhi, a resident of Sherawala Gate, Patiala. All leaders of national stature make it a point to visit Darbar Sahib and even Vajpayee has paid obeisance there. Sodhi asks: ``If the Queen of Englandcan visit Darbar Sahib, what prevents Sonia?'' In fact, in Amritsar, Akali and BJP workers are using this argument against the Congress as an election tool.Rahul accompanied Sonia on her both visits to Punjab and made the pink turban an essential part of his dress. The traditional ceremonies of gifting a kirpan and honouring with a siropa (robe of honour) were held with aplomb. A phulkari was gifted to Sonia at Patiala and a painting of the Golden Temple at Ludhiana. Sonia's foreign origin is not an issue despite the intense Akali campaign. She has also managed to distance herself, at least in public perception, from Operation Bluestar and the November riots. Moreover, a decade-and-a-half of Congress-bashing by the Akalis and their own misrule has somewhat blunted their arguments. In fact, Congress worker Paramjit Kaur of Langeri village near Nawanshehar regards Sonia as a saviour for her party.Talk about her foreign origins and people in rural areas disregard it. ``The Britishers ruled better thanwe do,'' says Parminder Singh of Damunda village in Jalandhar district. The area is famous for the large number of youth seeking immigration. An unemployed visa applicant at Adampur says: ``Maybe if Sonia wins, getting a visa to Italy will be easier!'' That's the Punjabi spirit.
