After about a month of an uneasy relationship, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Friday shared a dais here to campaign for NCP candidate and Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, betraying no special warmth but at the same time saying nothing that could indicate any animosity between them.

Addressing a mammoth rally here, the two leaders chose to list the UPA Government’s achievements like farm loan-waiver, farm packages, NREGS, land pattas to forest-dwellers and Bharat Nirman to appeal to the people to re-elect the UPA.

They were also unanimous in their criticism of “communal” forces. While Pawar targeted Narendra Modi for “having ministers with a thirst for blood” like Maya Kodnani, Sonia attacked the BJP without naming it for escorting terrorists to other countries as if they were guests.

Sonia, who spoke after Pawar, pitched strongly for Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister saying he had the dedication and capacity to take everybody along to run the Government ably. Pawar, too, frequently referred to Manmohan Singh’s leadership while listing the UPA Government’s achievements.

Although the rally saw a massive turnout, there was hardly any speech that enthused the crowd the way the Mayawati and Modi rallies did in Nagpur. Republican Party of India (Athavale) president Ramdas Athavale, however, provided some comic relief in his inimitable style. “Let’s take revenge on Balasaheb Thackeray. I have come here to destroy (satyanash) Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani,” he said.

Incidentally, Patel is on a sticky wicket in the Bhandara-Gondia constituency, thanks mainly to the BSP factor and powerful Congress rebel candidate Nana Patole. Sonia later also addressed rallies at Chandrapur, Yavatmal and Kamptee for the Congress candidates there.

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