THE SUPREME Court verdict on the disputed Narmada dam last fortnight had come on a platter for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP as an opportunity to revive its sagging image in the State, but Tuesday's fiasco at the dam site here may well turn out to
be the party's Waterloo.
Immediately seizing the golden chance to derive political mileage out of the favourable apex court judgement , the ruling BJP had planned grand celebrations at the river bank but without paying any attention to the logistics required for gathering lakhs of
people at a remote place lacking its own infrastructure.
Pressing into service nearly 3,500 buses for free rides to the site is not a big deal as it would add to the State Transport Corporation's losses only marginally, but failure of the party and administration to acknowledge the food, water and shelter
requirements of the visitors has cost them very heavily - if the people's ire against the Ministers is any indication.
After remaining stranded for several hours in the sun without food and water, the people were found using filthy, un-translatable and unprintable language for the BJP and its Government.
Many villagers from north Gujarat, Kutch and Saurashtra areas had started their free rides on Monday afternoon and reached the dam site after 16 to 20 hours bus journey only to be stopped nine kilometres away from the site of the rally as the parking place
near the venue were all occupied by cars of Ministers and BJP dignitaries. It was but natural for their ire to be turned towards the ministerial cars as they were leaving the place even while the people were still trekking in the hot afternoon.
This correspondent came across many of these hungry, thirsty, fatigued and feeling-ditched people on the highway around Wednesday dawn, still about 10 to 12 hours' drive away from their villages.
