One of the political statements made most often by people, particularly at cocktail parties, is "...but where is the opposition?" There is no doubt there has been an ongoing deliberate attempt to dent the opposition credibility, particularly by a section of the media, which since May 2014 seem to have been questioning the opposition more rather than the BJP governments. With several prime-time anchors wasting no opportunity to praise the regime, even going on to defend statements that are factually inaccurate or policies that have proved to be disastrous, the opposition, particularly the Congress party, has been painted as the main villain in the narrative of “New India”. Such has been the bias against the grand old party that even when India lost soldiers in Ladakh due to the Chinese aggression and for the first time in four decades, India suffered casualties on the border with China, the blame was pinned on the Congress instead of taking the government to task.
In a scenario like this, with opposition space rapidly sinking, it was important that the grand old party changed its strategy and upped its game. Otherwise, it ran the risk of becoming irrelevant.
Bharat Jodo Yatra
With the Congress facing an existential crisis and finding itself bereft of accessibility to media space to take their message to the people, the party that led India’s freedom struggle decided to hit the ground and go directly to the masses, taking inspiration from the marches led by Mahatma Gandhi during our quest for Independence. The ambitious padyatra led by Rahul Gandhi plans to cover 3,570 km in just 150 days, panning 12 states starting from Kanyakumari and going right upto Kashmir.
Started 38 days ago, the Bharat Jodo Yatra has so far been a resounding success. Massive crowds, unpaid, are lining up the streets — some hoping to catch a glimpse of Rahul Gandhi, others looking to walk at least some distance, believing in the cause of celebrating our “Unity in Diversity”. After all, to walk 3,570 km in 150 days at an average of 23 km a day in unpredictable weather requires tremendous mental and physical fitness and discipline.
What the Congress can take heart from this is that for the first time it is the Congress that seems to be setting the agenda. Television and social media require visual content that has action. The Bharat Jodo Yatra gives just that. With visuals coming in from 6:30 in the morning when other parties are fast asleep, beautiful locations being captured as the sea of people move from one district to the other, and an extremely fit Rahul Gandhi walking effortlessly 23 km a day in hot sunshine or pouring rains, which is something none from the BJP top brass can do, the ruling party has been forced to react by doing what they do best — attack Rahul Gandhi. But this time, these “lame attacks” on his t-shirt or the immature videos mocking him seem to be falling flat or in fact working in his favour. The more Rahul Gandhi is attacked, the more people who are fence sitters, particularly the youth and women, seem to be drawn towards him.
With Rahul Gandhi talking about harmony and diversity, even as top BJP leaders continue to make hate speeches or make pleas to impose a particular language, the contrast is now starting to dawn upon the electorate. With Rahul Gandhi not afraid to do press conferences during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, something Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not attempted in his eight years in office, the negative image of Rahul Gandhi that was carefully crafted by the BJP seems to be falling apart while the real Rahul Gandhi — cool, composed, comfortable with people, able to communicate articulately and not afraid to answer tough questions — has emerged. Obviously, these are still early days of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, but if this momentum continues, the BJP may have to start to worry.
It is equally important the Congress does not get complacent. The Bharat Jodo Yatra still has a long way to go and just because the party is drawing crowds, it does not mean this will translate to votes. For that, the party will have to communicate their idea and vision — and more importantly make changes in the party.
Congress President Polls: Kharge Vs Tharoor
While Bharat Jodo Yatra is making all the right news, the process for the Congress president elections was not without its fair share of problems. Ashok Ghelot’s refusal to step down as Rajasthan chief minister and allow incumbent “interim president” Sonia Gandhi to appoint a CM of her choice, though he later did publicly apologise for this, took the media focus away from Bharat Jodo Yatra and once again gave the BJP an opportunity to attack the Congress. However, no matter how one looks at it, the fact that the Congress is having an open and transparent presidential election, where 9,000 verifiable delegates will elect a president, a process that no other political party has and no other political party conducts internal elections, is commendable. Add to that the fact that it will be for the first time in two decades that no one from the Gandhi-Nehru family is contention for the top party post.
Some of the questions that naturally are asked is can the Congress function without a member of the Gandhi family at the helm? The answer is yes. In the 137-year history of the Congress, the Gandhi-Nehru family has only been in the driver’s seat for about 40-odd years. Majority of the time the party has had a non-Gandhi president.
Another question often asked is then what happens to the Gandhis? Will they not be as prominent? The answer to that is the Gandhis are an inalienable part of the party. The family has given three prime ministers, two of whom attained martyrdom for the country. Even if the family holds no post, the last mile worker draws their inspiration from the legacy of the Gandhis.
So who will it be finally? On one hand we have Mallikarjun Kharge, a veteran from the SC community who rose up the ladder in the organisation, who has tremendous administrative experience both in government and in the party, and who won a record nine consecutive assembly elections in Karnataka and also served as leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha. On the other hand, there is a flamboyant Shashi Tharoor who makes up for his lack of experience in the organisation with his perceived support on social media. Ultimately, it will be for the voters to decide. But whichever way the election goes, one thing is for sure, and that is the Congress has set the benchmark and let us see if other political parties can start to move in the direction of internal party elections.
The author is a political analyst, constitutional expert and television personality.
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