PM, Sonia gone, VIPs follows suit

PANCHKULA: Minutes after PM Manmohan Singh and national advisory council chairperson Sonia Gandhi fretted over disappearing art forms and challenges to art and culture and other means of entertainment taking over public attention, an elite gathering at the silver jubilee celebrations of zonal cultural centres proved their fears right.
When the VVIPs walked out in the middle of a performance, after spending barely an hour at the venue, a large number of audience — local politicians, including MLAs and municipal councilors, local and state officials — occupying the front rows of VVIP galleries followed suit.
“It’s a shame,” claimed educationist and former councilor Lily Bawa, who was among the few VIPS who continued watching the performance. “My constituency is in a far off area and we are already late. My husband is also unwell. I’ll come with children tomorrow to watch the performance,” a woman politician explained apologetically, when asked why she was leaving in the middle of a performance.
Two women cops used the vacated seats to relax. “ It appears that the politicians had come to only show their face to Sonia Gandhi and the PM. Who bothers about culture,” one of them sniggered. Rhythm Chhabra, a resident of Sector 21, was among those who walked out after the PM’s departure. “I had come to see the PM,” the relative of a local politician exclaimed. Shivani, a student of class VI, too came “to see both Sonia Gandhi and the PM in person”.
Ten minutes after the VVIPs left, the front rows were occupied again as people moved forward to enjoy the grand spectacle, put together by folk artists at the impressive stage of Parade Grounds in Sector 5.
A retired IAS officer, who was said to be a close relative of Union minister Kumari Selja’s relative, was seen shouting at cops at the VVIP gate when refused entry. He was seen escorting several of his relatives from the gate. Former Chandigarh mayor Harjinder Kaur also had to make a few phonecalls before she was allowed in.