Rama again confronts Ravana in epic battle for Pathankot

Pathankot, Jan 31 (UNI) Rama and Ravana are again confronting each other again, but not for Sita, but for a place in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

BJP candidate and former minister Master Mohan Lal, who plays the role of the ten headed demon on the Ram Lila stage is again fighting a duel with Rama, that is Ashok Sharma of the Congress in the Pathankot assembly constituency. Sharma has been enacting the part of Rama since the last few years.

The two leaders have gained popularity due to their roles in the Ram Leela, which they have been playing for different clubs.

While Mohan Lal is associated with the Rama Dramatic Club for the last 35 years and has been playing the role of Ravana, Ashok Kumar is on the rolls of Krishna Natak Club and has been playing the character of Lord Rama for almost 30 years.

Ashok Kumar, the sitting Congress MLA, had defeated Master Mohan Lal, in the last assembly polls. Master Mohan Lal was then a Cabinet minister in the SAD-BJP ministry. This is the second battle that the two are fighting against each other.

Mohan Lal in his numerious election rallies warns the electorate to beware of his rival. " He is not Rama and has tarnished the image of the Lord", the BJP leader tells the voters reminding them development in ths constituency had come to a stand still in the last five years.

" I will defeat Ashok in the battle as Rama defeated Ranvan", predicts Mohan Lal, who incidentally also runs an 'akhara' and trains wrestlers. During his he-days, the Masterji had taken part in a number of freestyle wrestling bouts and even nowadays despite his busy schedule he take time out to visit his 'akhara' and give a piece to the youngsters.

" The assembly elections are an akhara and i will win the bout this time", he tells the voters. The Masterji is banking heavily on his close friend and party MP from Gurdaspur, Vinod Khanna, the cine star who has plunged into the election campaign.

On the other hand Ashok Sharma, who made his foray into politics in 2002 is always at hand to confront Masterji and tell the electorate " Mohan Lal was Ravana in Ram Leela and he is the demon in real life too". Taking a dig at his rival, Sharma said that when he was minister in the Badal-government he did not take care of the constituency.

Mohan Lal failed to bring any big projects to the border constituency and miserably failed, he said while predicting that Rama would certainly win this epic battle.

UNI