CHURU

Congress stalwart Balram Jakhar is leaving no stone unturned in Churu. And the effort is showing.

Fighting to prove his stature after losing successive battles in the last two elections, Congress stalwart Balram Jakhar is leaving no stone unturned in Churu. And the effort is showing.

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Passionate speeches apart, Jakhar is doing something that is really unique: He is letting out his tears at virtually all election meetings.

Having tried it first in Sikar, Jakhar perfected it in Bikaner and is now doling it out by the bucketful in Churu.

This Jat-dominated seat of Shekhawati is witnessing a nail-biting Ram-Balram contest, where the former Lok Sabha Speaker is trying to dislodge BJP's sitting MP Ram Singh Kaswa. Every time Jakhar rises to address an election meeting, he lets his tears do most of the talking. And while anything can activate his tear ducts, the primary 'stimulants' are issues like the plight of farmers and the country. "Mere Kisan Bhai," Jakhar begins, and almost immediately his voice begins to choke. "Mera pyara desh," he continues, and as if on cue, tears glisten in his eyes.

Voters swing both ways to the tearjerker. For the burly Jats, this is a slur on machismo. "Boodha lath hokar aurat jaise rovey hai (He cries like a woman despite being a strong old man)," sniggers Bhura Ram of Bhukredi village.

But loyalists think the tears are from the heart. "Jakhar sahab is an emotional man. He is moved by the plight of his brothers," swears Ved Prakash Sharma, a local Congressman. "Many cry with him," he claims.

For the BJP, Jakhar's is a glycerin act. "These are crocodile tears that come out with the elections," says Churu MLA and poll manager Rajendra Rathore. "Many fools cry with him, and they continue to do so after Jakhar is elected, albeit for a different reason," he quips.