'We remain, Madamji, ever at your feet'

New Delhi: It's a classic case of public display of political sycophancy. The New Delhi edition of The Hindu newspaper had an interesting item on January 1, 2012 - a full page jacket advertisement by a Congress leader wishing party head Sonia Gandhi a happy new year and promising to remain at her feet forever.

H Vasanthakumar, a Tamil Nadu politician with ownerships in a television channel and a durable goods retail chain, took out the ad with the promise: We remain, Madamji, ever at your feet.

Elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from the Nanguneri constituency in the 2006, Vasanthakumar's ‘Vasanth TV’ was launched by Gandhi in May 2008. According to news reports, the veteran politician had Gandhi launch the satellite TV channel from the party headquarters at 24, Akbar Road in New Delhi. The channel was meant to focus on the Congress party and its achievements.

Gandhi is often addressed by party workers as 'madam' as a mark of respect. In a news report Vasanthakumar, who contested on a Congress ticket in Nanguneri assembly segment in Tirunelveli district in 2011, was stated to be the richest candidate in the fray.

But in the Assembly election, Vasanthakumar, the proprietor of Vasanth & Co, lost his Nanguneri seat to A Narayanan of SMK by a margin of 12,280 votes. He had polled 65, 510 votes at Nanguneri.

The ad alluded to the mythical loyalty shown by Hanuman to Lord Rama. After his coronation when Rama asked Hanuman what reward he would prefer, Hanuman replied "let me remain ever at your feet." Vasanthakumar's ad is said to be inspired by the famous story of loyalty.

The ad featured a smiling Vasanthakumar with folded hands beside a larger image of the Congress President waving at the camera. It triggered a strong reaction on the Internet with many criticizing the action as a blatant attempt to restore lost favour after an election defeat.

Sycophancy is not new to politics. From wiping Mayawati's shoes to rolling on the ground seeking God's blessings on Jayalalithaa's birthday, party workers are known to do bizarre things to please their leaders. Supporters and activists of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha have compared the JMM leader Shibu Soren with South Africa's civil rights icon Nelson Mandela.

On her birthday, supporters of Mayawati always order cakes as heavy as her age in numbers and paint Lucknow blue, the official colour of the BSP. BSP officials also go about collecting huge amounts of cash to fund her birthday bash. A party activist allegedly killed a PWD engineer who refused funds for her birthday. The BSP once gifted a garland of Rs 1,000 notes to the CM during the party's 25th founding day celebrations.

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