After Bharat Jodo Yatra, can BJP belittle Rahul?

IN PERSPECTIVE

When Rahul Gandhi expresses anger over something he is not happy with in the country, the entire BJP ecosystem goes into overdrive to dub it as a case of overreaction. The party loves to infantilize Rahul and make light of his observations and perceptions while its troll army unleashes its vicious vitriol on Rahul on social media. But, to his credit, Rahul, undeterred by thinly veiled threats and insinuations, continues to remain critical of the Centre on a host of issues that require clarity.

Perhaps he launched the Bharat Jodo Yatra with the singular objective to prove that he is somebody who is not to be trivialised. What sets Rahul apart from, say, Arvind Kejriwal or Mamata Banerjee, is that while Rahul is full of sound and fury and remains monomaniacally focused on raising issues of national importance, the likes of Kejriwal are busy seeking to expand their footprint in different states by promising freebies. Mamata, despite being a feisty politician, hardly wastes her energy turning up the heat on the Centre at regular intervals. That leaves Rahul with the sole responsibility to prick the balloon of BJP’s arrogance.

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The Bharat Jodo Yatra has managed to capture the imagination of the country. There is every chance of the Yatra making a difference to Congress’ political fortunes in 2024. But, according to Rahul, the Yatra, in scope and vision, is apolitical as it is meant to act as a glue to hold together a country teetering precariously on the edge of social fragmentation, majoritarianism and growing socio-economic inequalities. People from all sections of society are enthusiastic about joining the Yatra, and it has gained a groundswell of support. It has also built-up steam for its avowed intent to fight the politics of bigotry being spread by the BJP, besides highlighting growing unemployment.

Rahul may have come out of his ivory tower at the right time. In a democracy, people need to interact and mingle with politicians, and Rahul has done just that by letting youngsters, film actors, the middle-aged and senior citizens to all be part of his Yatra. He is a leader who doesn’t indulge in dog-whistle rhetoric to impress people. The Yatra has sent an unequivocal message: The mind is not limited by any reductionism such as religion, caste and nationality.

Travelling long distances on foot is daunting and can test the patience of the most physically and mentally strong. During the course of his Yatra, Rahul has been seen continuously engaging in animated conversations with people, cutting across religions, who fall into step with him as his body language exudes positivity and friendliness. The physical barrier between a politician and the masses has disappeared in one fell swoop and this is the Yatra’s pièce de résistance. The Yatra has established a template for engaged public debate on the need for an inclusive society.

The senior leaders of the Congress party see in Rahul a contrarian, praising his steely resolve to feel the pulse of ‘real India’ on foot. And, yes, the Yatra is definitely not just a photo-op moment as the BJP would have us believe. Rahul has shown his steadfastness, and people are beginning to hitch their expectations to his wagon.

Millions are able to see Rahul as an intelligent and articulate politician these days, not the ‘Pappu’ the BJP projected him to be. He has found his Damascene moment in the Yatra, a people’s movement, something the country hasn’t seen in the last two decades. He uses gentle humour, not invective, to turn the heat on the Modi government on a plethora of issues. In 2016-17, he didn’t pull his punches on demonetisation and GST despite being made a butt of ridicule on social media.

He repeatedly warned the Centre against the Covid outbreak in early 2020. Recently, he attacked the Modi government for its lack of clarity on the border impasse with China. Rahul has tapped into public anger over issues such as unemployment and price rise. In a democracy, the masses dote on a leader who is seen to be decisive and dynamic and as one who knows his own mind. They have seen Rahul up close now and will weigh their options for the 2024 general elections.

Having now established himself as a popular politician in the public eye, Rahul has his work cut out. Since he is not getting any support from AAP and TMC, it is his Ekla Cholo Re (Walk alone) moment. He needs to convince people and position himself as the main Opposition leader, and the Congress as the one party capable of upsetting the BJP’s applecart in 2024.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi)