Dismount The Royal Steed

Chander Suta Dogra November 27, 2006 00:00 IST Dismount The Royal Steed -0001-11-30T00:00:00+05:53

The New Raja...

Here's how Punjab CM Amarinder Singh has suddenly become a man of the masses:

• Has abandoned campaigning by chopper and has been interacting with villagers
  
• The scion of the Patiala royal family now shakes hands with ordinary folk
  
• His 'aam admi' touch was there to see when he drank tea with a Dalit
  
• To the amazement of everyone, the CM played with infants and shared his lunch with an old woman

In his 30-year-long political career, Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh never really had to physically touch base with the aam janta. As the scion of the Patiala royalty, his style of governance, and his campaigning, has been regal. Largely airborne jaunts through the countryside, interspersed with brief descents to address public meetings, have been his trademark. There was an instance in 1992 when all he did was shower pamphlets on his constituents from a chopper. But now the dapper CM is embracing the toiling masses like never...