To hundred and sixty-six kilometres separate his two identities. In Delhi, his is a name seeped in controversy and taken in whispers, a man accused of abetting the suicide of an air-hostess who worked in his airline. In Sirsa, Gopal Goyal Kanda is a millionaire, philanthropist, religious head, leader of a political party, and the local MLA. Geetika Sharma finds no mention, except in rivals? campaigns.
For most of the drive between Delhi and Sirsa that cuts through Haryana?s green fields, there is very little to suggest Kanda or his Haryana Lokhit Party is a significant presence in the elections. It is only in Hisar that the first signs appear. The scribble of a kite, the party?s symbol, his name next to it, begins to emerge with increasing regularity on the walls of homes. And in Sirsa, the massive billboards begin. ?Baar baar diya sabko baari, ab dekhe Kanda ki yaari,? they say.
A lot in Sirsa city speaks of Kanda?s stature. On the outskirts, his home is called the kutiya, or hut, but it resembles a fort that forbids entry. The palace has 14 bedrooms, they say. He once owned a shoe shop in Sirsa marketplace. That now is the camp office of his party. ?In this city, everything owned by Kanda sahib is a landmark. Rickshaw driver to crorepati, everyone knows who he is,? said Raghubir Dangar, an HLP worker.
At the camp office on a Thursday morning, there are close to 500 people. On the walls are huge posters. Kanda?s brother Govind, a party leader, smiles down from one side. The other has a garlanded photograph of their late father Murli Dhar, and another of Gopal Kanda?s son Lakh Ram waving at a crowd. The only non-family poster is of the late Tara Baba, the local religious guru, who named Kanda as his heir, giving him immense influence in the area.
Read more: Kanda owns is a landmark