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Listen, My Sisters. Speeding from village to village, the campaigning maharani grimly undergoes such ritualistic welcomes as having her mouth stuffed with sweetmeats seven times, then explains the Swatantra platform to enthusiastic peasant crowds. Attacking Nehru's ruling Congress Party, she is sometimes fuzzy, particularly on foreign affairs, and when stumped, disarmingly admits: "I don't really know any more about this.'' But on the whole, she knows what she wants. Says she, the Congress Party's economic policy "is like growing a babul tree and expecting to get mangoes. They come to you when they need your vote; when they are returned to power, they become, little monarchs who levy taxes on you as they please, make you quarrel with each other, and swell their bank accounts."
Says she about Nehru's ambitious economic plans: "I think we need these five-year plans, but we are taking on more than we can cope with." The maharani makes a special pitch to the Hindu village women who listen to her, traditionally segregated behind bamboo fences: "I want to tell you, my sisters here, to cast your votes in favor of the Swatantra Party."
Uncomfortably aware of the beautiful maharani's impact, Nehru's Congress Party has decided to match her with a powerful opponent: Rajasthan's Revenue Minister Damodar Vyas. But not even Vyas seems likely to beat her personal appeal. At a rally last week in Malpura, Vyas' home town, a crowd of 5,000 paraded through the town crying "Long Live Our Maharani," paused outside Vyas' house to shout insults; elsewhere, village poets hymned the maharani. She is grimly determined to win, but at the moment her major campaign concern is the garlands and flower petals constantly tossed at her by enthusiastic supporters. Explains she: "I've got terrible hay fever."
* Sita, wife of Rama, was kidnaped by Ravana, but later proved by a trial by fire that she was still virtuous. Lakshmi was the consort of Vishnu and the goddess of wealth and luck. The Rani of Jhansi fought the British in the 1857 Indian mutiny, was killed in battle.